Rhyme Vs Reason
by emeraldLINX
Summary: Yukina is in love with Hiei and tells him so. But what will Hiei do in response, knowing they’re siblings? Make her naïve sister happy? Or will he confess the truth, which he has kept from her for so long?
1. Nightmares

**A/N:** Hey everyone, welcome to my first YYH fiction and second story in general. I would like to dedicate this story to Dream Fox for 1) awakening me to the world of fanfiction in the first place, 2) for encouraging me to post this story, and 3) for unwittingly giving me inspiration for a twist in some future chapters. Not to mention, I dedicate this story to all the readers out there who are kind enough to review.

Disclaimer: I am going to say this once and only once. After all, who wants to read this every time? I don't own the YYH characters or anything of the sort. If there are guys/gals in here that you don't recognize, then they probably are mine. However, Hiei will be mine... eventually. –wickedly evil laugh-

Also, this takes place almost immediately after the dark tournament, in the anime-verse. Not manga-verse. I don't read the manga so I don't know what differences there are. Anyway, enjoy...

Chapter 1: Nightmares

The fire demon was cloaked in his usual black attire as he lay on an oak tree. Its bark was surprisingly smooth and comfortable. An earthy smell resembling a garden elevated into Hiei's nostrils, calming the nonchalant demon. Of all the trees he saw and touched, the oaks were most pleasurable.

The oak tree was a symbol in human culture. At least, as far as Hiei knew. The sturdy trunk was stable and strong, known for balance. Not to mention, in human history, witches were hung on their branches. In many ways, those pathetic humans thought that a spirit was locked within its veins and punished those who did evil, as if trying to return balance to the witches' lives.

"How absurd," he chuckled in thought. It was because of these 'spirits' that Hiei adored the oak tree out of all the others. Though being a demon himself, the idea of a spirit forged from the mind's of humans disgusted him, and he doubted the spirits' existence as rebellion from the human idiocy. His wicked demonic self rested on their bark dozens of times without consequence. The rebellious nature within him always searched for the most difficult and dangerous course for spite. To prove to everyone else that he was top dog and feared no mortal, or immortal for that matter. No pathetic sturdy tree could harm his fiery hide. Nothing could harm him.

The thought of his infinite power which originated from his dragon created a sly smile on Hiei's face. Especially now, here in demon world, no low class demon could overthrow him.

His red eyes flew back and forth on the horizon, gazing at the sunrise. Time was endless since he last saw the sun in his own home. The world around him no longer reeked of human stench. The air was pure for his tastes and now freedom was in his possession. The power of it blew across his fingertips. Now he could spend the rest of his life in the way he chose. All the time in the universe to accomplish what he desired. No more idiotic missions with Yusuke and the others. No more Kuwabara.

The only person he was indebted to, despite denying the fact in public, was Koenma. After the dark tournament, the bumbling toddler finally agreed to free Hiei. Of course, there was help from fire demon's harsh glares, and Kurama's encouragement. But, all in all, it was Koenma who stamped the papers with his stubby fingers.

Now, with all this spare time, what was the fire demon to do? The answer was quite simple and almost pathetic. Yukina. He would watch after her, just like he did in human world. However this time, the fire demon was capable of physically existing at his sister's side. Without her knowledge, of course.

His sister was so beautiful, so happy... and so naïve. The loyalty which he dedicated to her was so natural, despite the hatred he possessed concerning the demons related to ice. Yukina was oblivious to all of the pain, and Hiei would ensure her sister would remain so.

The fire demon was considering chasing after his sister's location, when a low feminine voice resonated from below.

"Hiei, Hiei, Hiei," the voice sighed. "Don't you think it's odd that you are resting on a human world tree while looking at demon world's sky? You are even more oblivious than your sister." The tone responded in a way that sounded as though the speaker read Hiei's thoughts. A weak laugh echoed in the demon's ears as Hiei leaped to the ground, encountering this voice in person.

"You? But you're--"

"You can't go around assuming the unknown, now can you?"

"What do you want, Phen." He retorted, disgusted to see the fire demoness.

"Oh come on, it is Phennix! Phennix, Phennix, Phennix. You know, the phoenix? What is wrong with your memory?" She smiled weakly at Hiei's eyes, allowing her pitch black eyes to gaze at the fire demon's face.

"What do you want?"

"Your charm always precedes your ability to say hello."

The phoenix shook her head, allowing her crimson locks to sway in a pendulum motion. Her amusement glowed through her orangey-tanned face. The white glisten on her teeth and silver crest, resting over her black, feathered cloak, reflected off her abyss-full eyes.

"I was going to do something important."

"Important, eh? Watching your sister like a hawk, only to disappear from her view? She deserves better, Hiei."

His anger was emblazoned in his eyes, and the harshness in his tone grew tenser and more infuriated by each passing word. "Just because you were my partner in thievery for that one crime, you think that you ca---"

"You and your technicalities. 'You think you can blah, blah, blah.' Face it Hiei, you can't hide your secret forever, and running away from your unknown past is not going to help anything."

"What are you talking about? Unknown past? I know everything there is to know and don't condescend me as if you know more about it than me!" He grabbed Phennix by her cloak, only to realize the soft texture was her folded wings.

A wicked laugh echoed from her mouth as the white in her eyes transformed into a bloody red, allowing her black eyes to grow in a malicious manner. Fire spread from the silver crest across her body. It leaped on her wings and Phennix stretched them to intimidate Hiei.

"You know nothing. She needs you more than ever. Don't be rash," her voice intensified in a deep, fiery fashion. Smoke seeped out her mouth as she soared backwards, leaving Hiei in the dust.

"What are you talking about!?" He shrieked, chasing after her body, which quickly transformed into a phoenix.

"Find her in person. Speak to her. She needs you..." The sunrise in the background expanded into a fire that enveloped around Hiei.

"Phennix!" He screeched, as a suffocating heat swirled around him. Her spirit energy was different than his and was not necessarily hot, but intoxicating.

Her body disintegrated into the atmosphere, leaving her black ominous eyes. Her voice boomed in the fire demon's ears, "She needs you!"

Hiei awoke to find himself sweating uncontrollably. The pure stickiness from his clothing disgusted the demon. He rubbed his black hair and came across the white band tied around his forehead. The pain in his skull pulsed, suffocating his brain as it stretched his band.

He was lying on the earth of the park, next to an oak tree. Instead of returning to its branches, he blindly began to walk forward. His thoughts were scattered and nervous.

The dream, no nightmare, was so real, taunting. He could smell, see, and touch, even taste, the world around him. He tasted his freedom but was then quickly stolen. He loathed those thoughts, tormenting him like a rabbit in front of a dangling carrot. Especially since he was thankful to Koenma. How utterly disgusting for Hiei to fool himself into thinking that moron would help.

Not to mention, Phennix's appearance. She tortured him as much in real life, all those years ago, as much as in his nightmares. However, her presence frightened the seemingly fearless demon. He had not seen her physically for almost decades and imagined that she was dead. However, her phoenix eyes were seen in his worst of nightmares always.

Whenever, an event of immense importance was soon to commence, he would receive a visit from her. However, he never saw or spoke to her in those nightmarish coincidences. He merely felt her revengeful presence and seeking eyes. However, the fact remained, whenever her presence was near, trouble ensued.

_She needs you..._

He rubbed his head, walking unconsciously. What if his sister did need him? The panic raced through his head, surging and elevating his previous pain. However, he paused, calming his thoughts. This was a mere dream.

"I am not afraid of some idiotic fortune," he remarked.

"Huh? What you talking about Hiei?" replied a low, all too familiar voice.

"Go away Kuwabara," he flatly retorted.

"What are you talking about? You're standing in front of my house. You should be leaving!" The red-haired boy demanded, attempting to sound intelligent.

However, Hiei was extremely confused. He remembered walking blindly, but it was an impossible coincidence to wind up in front of Yukina's love's house. The thought of his sister adoring this buffoon disgusted the demon, making him want to throw up. Only the risk of destroying his sister's happiness prevented him from punching Kuwabara where he stood.

"Uh, hey listen, Hiei. I got school and I really have to go if I want to keep my grades up and..."

"Speed it up moron."

"I think Yukina might be in trouble. Could you check up on her? You know with your Jagan eye?"

Hiei longed to see Yukina with his Jagan but feared it was useless.

_Find her in person._

Was it possible that whatever he saw with his eye was not the truth? Or what if she was already dead? Could he really gaze upon her distantly with his mind if that was the case? Phennix was right; he needed to find her in person.

_I think Yukina might be in trouble..._

_Find her in person. Speak to her. She needs you..._

**A/N:** So what you guys think? Review please...

Just so you guys know, that information about the oak tree came from a friend of mine, so if it is inaccurate blame her not me. However, it will come in importance later. Hehehe...


	2. SideTracked

**A/N:** Yay, Thank you reviewers! Me-so-happy-can't-keep-excitement-bottled-up. I love the feedback!

Anyway, I would like to dedicate this chapter to all those who reviewed, namely: _Psycho 24, animebaby08060, Sapphire Angel, Princess Kristal01, Lil Rose Angel, Reikachan14, and Princess of Makai_.

Chapter 2: Side-Tracked

The thoughts and voices from his dream bore into Hiei's skull. Anxiety began to well up inside him, thinking of Yukina's possible danger. It consumed him, and Hiei was so fixated on his thoughts, that all sound around him began to fade in a bleating fashion. The sound was namely Kuwabara's. His voice was low, almost invisible by comparison to the words buzzing around Hiei's head.

He aimlessly began to walk forward, with Kuwabara at his heels. His instinct and dreams told him to find Yukina in person. But how could he do that? Yukina was in demon world, while he was on probation in this human city. There were no ways for him to find a portal to demon world. Unless

"-And you know with my science course I canno-" Kuwabara continued. The words would occasionally enter Hiei's thoughts, shattering those which he was previously occupied with. A scowl came on the fire demon's face, directed at the buffoon.

Hiei, again, debated the course of action to search for his sister, without using his eye. However, the thought of refraining from usage of his eye, seemed idiotic. What was he afraid of anyway? Some advice from an ex-partner that only someone as stupid as Kuwabara would believe. So, why did he, Hiei: the demon with the power of the darkness flame at his fingertips, follow Phennix's warnings?

Kuwabara's voice resonated louder. He was discussing about his schoolwork and the difficulty to sense Yukina's presence. Then he recited a poem about his love, Yukina. Hatred beamed off of Hiei from this pathetically horrible rhyme.

He was unable to think with Kuwabara's bleating, repetitive tone.

"Do you ever stop talking?" the irritated demon protested.

A weak smile plastered itself on Kuwabara's face. "Heh, for a second I thought you weren't listening to me."

Hiei scoffed in annoyance and Kuwabara's stupidity. "Of course I wasn't listening. But with your idiotic rhymes and aimless talk, I can't think."

Kuwabara blushed with anger. His throat dried up and his eyes burned at the demon with the short stature in front of him. However, the buffoon was unable to narrate a complicated comeback.

All he could think to say was, "Well, you're short! At least I don't have to look up at everyone like some shy, untalented midget! Shorty, shorty, shorty!" He snarled, but Hiei remained nonchalant.

The fired demon smiled, compressing a laugh, "You're pathetic."

"Whatever! Are you gonna help me with Yukina or not!"

"Hmph."

"Hehe, of course Hiei will help Yukina! Even if it means assisting Kuwabara. Won't you, Hiei?" a familiar voice chirped from behind them. It was Yusuke with Keiko tailing him closely. Yusuke's broad, gleaming smile shined on Hiei.

"At least I don't carry around a blue spirit beast, and attempt to make it look like a stuffed animal. You're such a girl." The demon retorted, pointing to Puu, who was tied to Yusuke's schoolbag.

"Hey! It wasn't my idea!" The boy demanded nervously, trying to preserve his masculinity. He walked to the right of Hiei, and Kuwabara on his left. Keiko trailed behind like a hawk, not adding the conversation, just smiling nervously at Hiei.

"What-ev-er," Hiei replied, rolling his eyes slowly.

"So what's up with Yukina? What did I miss? Did Botany give Kuwabara orders, and not me? Why that little"

"Relax man. Koenma and Botan aren't a part of this. For the past couple of days, I keep getting this weird vibe about her. Even though, I lost my spirit energy. It is really weird! But this morning, I saw this red bird at my windowsill. Yukina's ribbon was entwined around the bird's foot. I can recognize her ribbon anywhere," he commented with a twinge of pride. However, when no one responded, Kuwabara embarrassingly cleared his throat and continued, "I know that Yukina spends a lot of time with birds and other animals. You knowâsince she's my girlfriend, I know what she likesâheheâ I thought that this bird might have been sent from Yukina to ask for help. After all, she knows that only I can save her!" He boasted and danced in front of the gang. Though, he quickly stopped and stated, "It was kinda weird, but I got this vibe from the bird. It was fiery red and I could of sworn that when it flew, smoke was around it. Almost like the bird was on fire."

"What?!" Hiei gasped inaudibly, attempting to hide his surprise from Kuwabara. This was too big of a coincidence for the fire demon to handle. Maybe those warnings and advice from his dream were real, just like Yukina's danger. If Phennix was right though, then he should refrain from accessing his Jagan's power.

However, Yusuke noticed the demon's gasp. He quickly thought of several extremely hurtful comebacks for Hiei. Knowing the concern which Hiei probably felt, the boy decided against torturing the fire demon. Yusuke was surprised at himself for not blurting out any remarks. He opened his mouth and tried, but figured Yukina was a touchy subject for Hiei. Especially now, when Yukina might be in danger.

Before the gang realized it, all four were in front of Yusuke's high school. The three students started walking in the entranceway, ditching the fire demon who longed to be alone anyway. He could hear Yusuke suggesting ways of escaping 'this wretched prison for morons.'

Finally, his thoughts caught up to Hiei, and he quickly brainstormed ways of finding his sister.

Before any revelations formed, a red bird caught Hiei's eyes. A bird with smoke seeping out its wings. He gasped and instinctively chased after it.

**A/N:** Good? Bad? Review Please.

Sorry guys, I intended this chapter to be much longer with some more scenes, but this week was unbelievably busy. I thought I should post at least what is written so far. I hate it when authors post a really good story once a month because it leaves me in suspense! So I promise next week (since I am planning to post weekly), the chapter will be much longer and better!


	3. Diversions

Sorry everyone! Sorry, sorry, sorry! I was so busy, that I was unable to write anything! I really wanted to post this chapter sooner, just too busy. Sorry!

By the way, in addition to my apologies, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my faithful reviewers! You guys give me that fuzzy warm feeling (insert smiley face...for some reason I can't make any faces! No asterisks or carrot signs...-sniff-). Anyway, thank you _Lil Rose Angel, anime baby 06080, Pai 927, AnneMarieh, PrincessKrystal01, and trunksgirl85. _

Chapter 3: Diversions

Hiei sprinted uneasily towards the glowing bird. The smoke emanating from the bird was ominous and thus he decided not to run exceedingly fast. If this bird was of the demon world, then perhaps it would disappear if it sensed Hiei's presence. Better yet, this bird may know of a portal to spirit world. Kuwabara thought the bird on his windowsill was sent from Yukina, so the bird must have arrived here, in human world, somehow.

Of course, all these thoughts did not cross Hiei's mind. He was too fixated and flabbergasted by the coincidence. The pure fear pumped through the demon's body, forcing him to continue chasing the possible bird demon.

_Yukina, Yukina!_ He desperately thought. _I must find her!_

Ignoring his earlier precautions, the demon leaped onto a wall which closed off Yusuke's school. He ran along the cement fence, attempting to catch up to the bird insistent flying. Quickly, he reached the end of the wall, only to leap forward to a nearby tree. Soon, the demon was sprinting and bouncing across house roofs, trees, and streetlights. Streets and parks quickly flashed by in the scenery as the bird, with Hiei close behind, flew onward.

The annoying pigeon ducked left, leaving a trail of red smoke. The demon instantly ducked under the trees in the park, in hopes of finding the bird. Instead, he found, white stones lying across the grass. He was not in the park, but a graveyard.

His heart grew cold, despite his fiery hide, thinking that the bird led him here, of all places. He grudgingly made his way across the grass glancing at each human name. Kneeling down at every tombstone, he caressed the stone indentations.

Midoriko Mizuka

1950-2000

Aoi Ryunoka

1910-1990

Usagi Kuchi

1940-2001

....and the list went on and on. More random, Japanese human names. More marble gravestones. But nothing significant to him. Hiei began to ponder whether the bird he saw was even real. Or maybe it was more cunning than he thought. Maybe it released smoke to lead him here as a diversion, while the bird flew in the opposite direction.

He sighed and slowly gazed across the ethereal field. A twinge of sadness enveloped him. Not for the deaths of course. But for the loss of his skills. Why did he hesitate in the beginning? He probably would have found and caught the bird by now if he had not acted so stubbornly. All this time in human world must be making him soft. However more importantly, he failed.

His legs beneath him gave way, as Hiei plopped himself onto the grass. He covered his eyes with his forearm and hoped that his earlier dream would come true. At least then he was physically in demon world, instead of stupidly dwelling in a human cemetery.

The grass beneath him was soft and comforted Hiei. It melted his thoughts of the bird, but upset Hiei more. Even the souls of the dead made Hiei feel the presence of home. Why did he screw up everything?

His thoughts burned in his head. He never thought of such things before. Before he met Yukina. Well, to be more precise, before Yukina met Hiei. On that day, when Togoro first made his appearance. He never talked to his sister before that moment. All the events that followed brought him torture. First with Kurama, Botan, and Yusuke taunting him relentlessly. Second, with Yukina constantly asking Hiei of the whereabouts of her brother, who unbeknownst to her was the demon himself. Lastly, with Hiei's new conscience. He never gave his crimes second thought. Technically he still did not feel guilt over the crimes themselves. However, it was his crimes and evil deeds which made Hiei afraid to confess his secret to Yukina. She did not need to know of her murderous brother, or of their past.

The pain which he felt was unimportant and should not be placed on Yukina's shoulders.

However the philosophy about his sister soon physically hurt Hiei's head. His skull burned with an intoxicating fire. Phennix's words scorched through his mind.

_She deserves better, Hiei. _

The exact words from his nightmare. Hiei tossed over on the grass, grabbing his skull.

"Stop it, stop it!" He screeched, unwittingly rolling down the hill. The tangible pain was insurmountable.

_She needs you more than ever._

_Find her in person. Speak to her. She needs you... _

Crunch was the noise Hiei made when he smashed into the tall tombstone at the foot of the hill. His back throbbed, lying against the now cracked cement. The pain from his head, somehow made the demon physically weaker, and thus the fall's sting resonated through Hiei's body.

_She needs you!_

The fleeting words faded along with the fire in his head at last. With the original pain gone, his other wounds soon diminished. However, it left Hiei with a sense of grogginess. He could sense sleep begin to pull him.

The fear of another possible nightmare containing Phennix forced Hiei to blink his eyes open.

The red bird from earlier was perched on his knee, tilting its head and gazing into Hiei's eyes. It chirped, attempting to comfort the fire demon, but to no avail. Hiei was too exhausted to sneer back or angrily hit the bird.

It was the size of a sparrow but was apparently not of the human world. Though the bird possessed characteristics of a regular bird, a strange spirit signal emanated from it. The sparrow chirped again as it edged its way closer to Hiei's face. Close enough to touch, the bird pecked Hiei continuously.

Annoyed, the demon regained his strength to swat the sparrow away. However, the bird returned to its exact previous location. The sparrow sang, chirped, and made as much noise as possible to awake the fallen demon.

He sighed with fatigue but edged to his feet, despite his sore limbs. The bird appeared cheerful at this and flew around Hiei. It quickly soared past Hiei, but the demon did not follow. He ignored the bird and walked in the opposite direction.

Surprised, the bird returned to Hiei's shoulder. It pecked his neck, and this time, Hiei did not show aggression. The sparrow, realizing the technique failed, spiraled around Hiei, trying to receive his attention. Hiei gazed at the bird, now floating in front of him, with a tired, uneasy look. _Yukina_, he thought. Nodding his head to show approval of the bird, Hiei followed the sparrow.

It once again soared past Hiei, but this time the demon pursued. The two made their way through and out the graveyard. Chirping, the bird immensely increased its speed, flying across the street.

The demon looked forward to see the bird enter a building. Curious, he past the street and climbed up several flights of stairs. At last, he reached the edifice. Grudgingly pulling the door handle, he realized was entering a library.

The books were overflowing on the shelves, and a musty smell escaped the entrance. Hiei cautiously entered the library, in search of the bird.

He quickly saw the bird perched on one of the bookshelves. Acknowledging the demon, the sparrow flew down and into a different section of the library. Intrigued, Hiei ran to follow the bird. Left, right, right, left, right...... and on and on. The shelves were endless and as Hiei continued into the heart of the library, the smell grew exponentially.

After several minutes of ducking in and around the different rows, Hiei reached a dead-end wall. A concerned visage appeared on his face as he searched for the bird, which he was following endlessly. The demon turned around, disappointed and slightly angry, to find Yukina's ribbon acting as a bookmark in one of the books.

Gasping, he snatched the book into his hands. Carefully inspecting the text, he noticed the ribbon was accompanied by a red feather. The novel itself was large and heavy. Its pages were yellowed with occasional painted pictures. The letters were in cursive and elegant. With parts in kanji other in hiragana. Only a bibliography in the back of the book was translated into English. After flipping through its pages, he caressed the red cover. Pegasus, a griffon, and other fantastical creatures were illustrated upon it.

At last, he opened the page to where Yukina's ribbon was placed. However, before he could inspect the picture and text within, a voice startled him. He quickly thrust the book shut.

"Hiei? I never thought to find you here," The red haired boy chuckled slightly.

"Kurama? What are you doing here?!"

The fox laughed heartily at the response. "This is a library Hiei. Don't you think I would spend my time here? I spend nearly all my time in books. I, however, am interested as to why you are here, amongst these books."

Hiei opened his mouth to make a retort, but surprisingly nothing came. He was still in physical pain after his cemetery experience, and tired of conversation after his encounter with Kuwabara.

"Well, then, may I ask what book you are holding in your hands?" He taunted and pointed, oblivious to his friend's plight.

"Nothing." Hiei sneered and turned slightly away from Kurama.

"Really?" The fox demon smirked and snatched the old text. "Looks like a mythology book. I never knew you were interested in this type of thing." Kurama flipped the pages in self amusement and awe of the book. He marveled at its contents and intriguing pictures. "Not just Greek or Roman, but Celtic as well. How interesting!"

Hiei raised his eyebrow at Kurama trance and shrugged his shoulders. "Can I have it back now?"

"Wait a second Hiei. Can you even read this?"

"WHAT?! Are you doubting my intelligence?!" He gasped.

"No, no. Of course not. I know full well that you can read demonic text. However, I would assume you are unaware of kanji characters," Kurama stated, but then smiled, seeing Hiei's embarrassed expression. "You really can't read it?"

"Of course I can!"

Slightly amused, Kurama opened the book to the page with Yukina's ribbon. "Ok, here is a test then." He turned the book to face Hiei, and pointed at the heading of the new chapter. "All you have to do is tell me what this one letter is. Only this one. Forget about the other characters in the title. I would think this would be easy for you Hiei."

Hiei peered into the book and glared at the character which lay above Kurama's finger. It had four strokes in it and appeared very simple. One diagonal stroke that was pointing down on the left side (and up on the right). Extending out of the major stroke, a smaller one pointed downwards to the right. The two remaining strokes were on either side of the middle picture.

"Humph. This is idiotic. I don't need some stupid test!"

"I knew you couldn't read," Kurama laughed. "For the record, this character means fire. See the title in its entirety, I can't make out. Something about fire and ice. I am not sure."

Intrigued, Hiei turned to look at the book. However, Kurama had it facing himself. The fire demon walked behind Kurama to see the boy interpreting the text. Kurama flipped the pages back and forth. "I was never really that good at kanji. There are way too many characters. Oh hey, look at this."

Both demons gazed with awe at the gorgeous portrait of a phoenix. Hiei was now certain that all of this was not a coincidence. His dream, Phennix, the bird, this book... all of it was related and pointing to Yukina.

"This chapter. I need you to translate for me!" He demanded, pointing at the yellow pages.

"???" Kurama eyed his friend with awkward curiosity. "Only if you tell me what you're doing and why."

"Doing? Absolutely nothing..... I am just... uh..."

"Spare me the excuse. I know you're hiding something and you better tell me what it is."

**A/N:** Yay! Finally this chapter is completed! So tell me what you think. Good, bad? Boring, exciting? ...oh and, you guys like this length or should the chapter be longer?

Thanks for your feedback guys, and I will try to post on time next week.

PS. Just thought I would give some quick insight. Those random names on the tombstones.... The first name means green child (well the last part has something to do with water), the second name means blue dragon's fire (I think...sort of), and the last one means rabbit lips. I know, really random, but hey I couldn't think of anything exceptionally good.

PPS. Just so you guys know, Yukina will appear in either the next chapter or the one after that. So stay tuned please!


	4. Acquaintance

**A/N:** Heh. Nearly two months without an update. You guys would think I'd learn my lesson and post when I say I am going to post… but NO! I have to take forever. Also I suddenly had a burst of inspiration for this other story, and I didn't want to lose it…but I'm back in the saddle now. Sort of. Yeah, I could give you a whole long list of all the obstacles that kept me from writing this but I'll refrain. I don't want to bore you all.

Thank you faithful reviewers! I dedicate this chapter to you all for coping with my inability to be punctual: _Princess Krystal01, Sang Yu Nung, Trunksgirl85, Psycho 24, ET, Fire/Ice Fox Goddess, and Lil Rose Angel._

* * *

Chapter 4: Acquaintance

"I'm not hiding anything!" Hiei snarled defensively.

However, Kurama let out a weak smile and then stood tall, looking down at Hiei. "_You_, the 'almighty fire demon,' are inside a human library reading a _book_. I am not stupid."

"Just give me the book back you moron," the fire demon retorted under his breath so that Kurama could not hear.

Eyeing Hiei's expressions, Kurama figured he was too humiliated to disclose any information. The fox snapped the book shut, turned around, and started heading for the library exit.

"Where do you think you're going with _my_ book?!"

"I am going to borrow the book from the library. If you want to know what the chapter means, then you'll have to tell me what you are planning."

"But I am not planning ANYTHING!!" He shrieked. Suddenly a crowd of people glared at the fire demon with enmity as they all put their fingers to their mouth.

"Hiei, we are in the bowls of a library. You have to be quiet," Kurama mentioned with an air of superiority.

Meanwhile, Hiei merely slouched over. He was obviously unable to trick Kurama into translating text without purpose, and he thus remained silent. The fire demon merely gazed at the book's cover in Kurama's hands.

Phennix's words would not leave him. _She needs you._ If all those coincidences were pointing to Yukina, something must be wrong. Slight panic pulsated through his body. He desired to use his Jagan eye relentlessly, but if all of Phennix's past prophecies were true, then Hiei did not want to take a chance with his Jagan. A sigh escaped the fire demon rethinking the hopelessness of his situation. He was not even sure Yukina was in trouble or where in demon world she was.

_Some brother you are_, he thought to himself.

Kurama, at this time, merely observed Hiei's trance. The concern on his face was overly apparent to the fox. In fact, despite knowing Hiei's character, the red head was hurt. His friend refused to confide in him, and whatever the problem was, Kurama could tell it was tearing Hiei apart.

At long last, Kurama approached the librarian's desk. "Excuse me Mrs. S."

"Why, Suichi! Are you back for another adventure?"

"Well, no adventure or fantasy for me today. I would like to check out this novel," Kurama smiled, plopping the text onto the desk, forcing dust to fly everywhere.

"Mythology? I never knew you liked that sort of thing."

"I've always possessed an interest in it, but never read a book on the matter."

"Then you'll love this book! It has everything from spirit guides to Greek gods or goddesses to mythical creatures… everything."

Hiei looked cynically at Kurama, not listening to conversation. What was with all the boring banter? He just wanted the book and to escape this word-encased prison. Not watch Mr. talkative converse about books with some old woman. However, the fire demon held his tongue despite his disgust. If he angered Kurama, the chapter would never be translated.

Oblivious to Hiei's thoughts, Kurama continued talking, "Oh really? I did not realize that."

"Yes. Spirit guides can come in all shapes. It's quite common for people to have foxes or wolves as a guide. I would think yours would be a fox," She smiled, "You are so… intellectual, I am sure a fox spirit guide would fit you."

Kurama merely laughed. She had no idea how right that comment was. However, as he stood at the desk amused, he suddenly caught eye of Hiei. The fire demon waited here for all this time?

"I don't mean to interrupt our riveting conversation, but I'm afraid I need to be on my way. Could you stamp this book for me?"

"But of course; anything for my favorite customer."

"Ok Hiei let's go," Kurama sighed, slightly disappointed that his discussion was cut short.

Almost instantly both demons were out on the streets; however neither said a word to each other. Kurama was at a loss for words (as unbelievable as that may be), wondering what was so unbelievably important about this book. At long last, the fox opened its pages and began to translate.

However, Hiei did not notice Kurama's silent actions, wondering how he could find Yukina. His goal remained unreachable as long as Hiei remained where he was. Looking away from Kurama, Hiei began to talk, "I… um, uh.."

The fox looked up, realizing that Hiei was going to confess. A wry smile plastered itself on Kurama's face, and the boy listened intently.

"…Have been having a lot of ominous dreams about Yukina," He said with many long pauses in between each word. This was obviously not easy for him. "Yeah… uh, my intuition led me to this book."

"That's it?" Kurama smirked.

Of course not, Hiei thought cruelly, but refused to say anymore.

"Well, then sure I'll help you… you good older brother, you!" The fox laughed, turning Hiei's face into a blood red. Kurama opened the pages once again and inspected the text.

"Well?!" He asked as calmly as he could despite his impatience.

"Hiei, relax. Oh, and could you refrain from looking over my shoulder?"

"Hmph." Hiei crossed his arms, while tapping his foot.

"Boy, I am so glad a found you!!" panted an all too familiar voice. Hiei turned around to find Botan. Her hair was wet from sweat.

"Couldn't you have just flown over here?" Kurama asked, temporarily forgetting about the book.

"If I want to send the public into a panic, sure. Anyway, Koenma has an important new mission!" She said, regaining her composure.

"Why are you talking to us? Yusuke is your detective," Hiei retorted with intense cruelty at the interruption.

"Well… Yusuke only does human world type cases, and we have a problem in spirit world."

"And….?" The fire demon tapped his feet, giving Kurama a cruel glare and thus telling him to continue translating.

"It seems that there has been a breakout of mass destruction in the forests."

"What can we do to help?" Kurama asked kindly.

"We need an expert on fire magic to fight whoever is doing this!" Botan exclaimed.

"Hell no." Hiei flatly remarked. "I have more important things." Knowing that he was not needed, Kurama decided to stay out of the conversation.

Botan smiled, knowing this comment was coming, and then opened up a confidential folder in her hands. "I have two reasons why you want to help us."

"Well speed it up. I don't have all day to listen to morons."

Botan sighed and responded sarcastically, "Your charm is so irresistible. I don't know how you escape the ladies."

"_Your charm always precedes your ability to say hello."_ Hiei shook his head, remembering Phennix's comment in his dream. This problem of his possessed too many coincidences.

"Anyway," She flipped through several papers in the folder until reaching a file. "I hold in my hands, your record. If you do this, Koenma will officially free you of you banishment to this city."

"I've been promised that before."

"Well this time, I won't break my promise."

"As if I'd trust you."

"Ok listen. The forests… as well as other places in spirit world are being burned down with some sort of magical fire. We tried to freeze it, throw water on it, and even tried to blow it away with wind. But nothing is working. This fire doesn't even need fuel to sustain itself… If this continues, all of spirit world will turn into an endless inferno! We need to fight fire with fire, and you're the demon for the job."

"As if I would assist any of you with my own free will."

"Name your price!"

"No."

"But Yukina dwells in those forests. She may die if you don--"

"Yukina?!"

Both Kurama and Botan switched glances. The fox demon considered what Hiei had disclosed earlier. Hiei had dreamt of Yukina and now whatever the dream was…might be coming true. Meanwhile, Botan was content with herself. Obviously she pulled the right string.

"So will you help us? You'll get to go to spirit world, see Yukina, and if you are successful, then your banishment will be revoked." A smile appeared on Botan's face.

Hiei merely gazed at the ground. Did he really want to go on _another_ mission?

"Do we have a deal? You're freedom and Yukina's safety for your services."

"Fine."

"Take this," Botan handed Hiei and Kurama each a communicator.

A smirk came on Kurama's face. "I'll contact you when I translate the text. Besides, if you need any information about magic based fire, I'm the library guy."

"Just tell me as soon as the text is translated," Hiei dryly responded, attempting to sound as calm as demonly possible. Yukina really was in trouble, and he was determined to find her.

"Well let's go Hiei," Botan cheerfully said as she magically pulled out her stick.

* * *

**A/N:** My bad. I said Yukina was going to appear but she didn't. –sigh- Well now it is official: she WILL appear in the next chapter, and all the angst-drama that was promised in the summary shall finally come to pass.

Yay! Sorry it took 4 chapters to build up…it's just there is an underlying plot to the Yukina-loves-Hiei-and-Hiei-is-weirded-out-thing and I had to well… build up to it. -wicked laugh-

And I'll TRY to post quickly, but I am not giving any promises this time. Since well… I can't keep 'em.


	5. Inferno

**A/N: **Yes, yes I know. I'm going to have to solely dedicate this chapter to _lilroseangel_ because she insisted (and at one point in the conversation, nagged) me to update. I really needed it. Heh, thanks.

* * *

Chapter 5: Inferno

Hiei almost glided through the black forest. Its smoke rose steady, suffocating all in its path. The ash smothered the earth now tread on by Hiei's boots. He smiled weakly at the feeling of destruction pulsing throughout the forest. It was familiar and comforting for a malicious demon such as himself.

However, the fire demon had to remain focused. This was a research mission. If he wanted to understand his target, then information and a description of the fire would be needed.

It was too dark to see anything anyway.

Shoving his hands into the depths of his coat pockets, Hiei closed his eyes.

* * *

"Just show me where the demon is and I'll tear him to pieces."

"It's not quite that simple," Botan sighed. Dealing with Hiei's cold and straight-forward attitude was definitely not on the top of her want-to-do list. She led him down the hallway and after several awkward silences, ended up at Koenma's doorway.

The sensation of home was overwhelming and it took a couple seconds for Hiei to realize that he reached his destination. In fact, Botan had already entered the room, leaving him out in the hallway to be left in trance. Without much care for this mission, the demon strolled forward as nonchalantly as possible.

Koenma sat at his desk, in child form, slowly twirling his chair back and forth. The concern and anxiety on his countenance was apparent despite the bauble in his mouth and the absurd hat. Hiei never did like the adolescent appearance.

"Well?" The fire demon raised an eyebrow.

"I should probably give you the 411 of the situation," Koenma began, as his blue haired assistant walked behind him. "Over the centuries in spirit world, there have been quite a good number of incidences with fires. As you probably know there are all types of fires. Spawned from spirit energy, mystical spells, good old fashion physical fire and so on. These fires however died out, doing little to no damage. After all, fires across the land are the least of our agencies' problems."

"So? Many demons use fire as basis of attacks."

"Yes, but recently a series of incidences have occurred across spirit world. There were no battles between demons, no rivalry, no important villages or temples… no anything. Just forest. I admit that at first glance it appeared to be nothing more than coincidence, especially since there seemed to be no serious damage," he paused, setting aside some papers resting in front of him. "But the fires wouldn't stop. Even after the forest was burned to the ground. It continued growing and growing, smoldering into a white aura. Soon the separate fires connected to each other and acted as a giant blanket sweeping across spirit world. At that point I had to send some people to stop this. Ice, water, wind, incantations, spells… nothing. None of it worked in the slightest. The fire just refused to die and continued spreading, soon exponentially."

"… and what do you expect me to do?" The demon sighed. This was not his problem and to be frank, he did not care.

"We need someone to stop it… and find out who'd do this. Only certain demons can withstand such heat, while all the others would perish. Spirit world would be a world for fire demons and no one else."

"Heh, doesn't seem like much of a problem for me."

"Well, it is for Yukina," Botan nervously added. Even Koenma showed signs of disgust towards Hiei's selfishness. He would think Hiei could deduct such reasoning. However, the original distaste evaporated as he saw the look upon the demon's face. It reflected severe thought and concern.

"Not all fire demons could survive. Not even you for too long, Hiei."

The fire demon's eyes were emblazoned red as he approached the desk. Despite feeling disheartened and helpless, Hiei was certain not to reveal such weakness. "Of course I could."

Taken somewhat off guard, Koenma stared back. "Not at this intensity." Noticing no change in this stubborn attitude, he decided to change the subject. "I researched and came up with a list of all the possible demons who could survive such disasters…"

Hiei eyed the boy carefully. Beneath a large amount of papers was a yellow folder, now handed to the fire demon. Uninterested, Hiei opened it, flipping several pages. To his surprise there were only a handful of such creatures, only one or two having individual pictures. The others must have been too elusive for a portrait.

"So?"

"These are merely some suspects for who caused this. What I really need you to do is stop the fire. Then find and stop who did it. I just figured if you knew about the fires' origin then perhaps finding a method to its destruction would be simpler."

"Hmph," the demon nodded emotionlessly. "Whatever."

* * *

Hiei reopened his eyes, in midst of the forest ash and flame. Nothing of interest here, let alone clues to assist in this idiotic investigation. He dragged his feet forward, uncovering more dust and embers.

This situation was not as simple as he previously thought. This would require research, and despite the expectations of Koenma, Hiei was not well versed in fire spells or any information relating to fire. Sure, he was a fire demon and used fire-based attacks but that was all. The one person he knew who was truly knowledgeable in such a category was-

… was Phennix. The demon was a phoenix after all.

Odd, he thought. She seemed to be haunting him till the grave. The demon was not much of a crime partner anyway. Especially after that one time…

The fire demon sighed. Who really cared? Such memories were not important, especially now. She disappeared a long time ago and most certainly had nothing to do with these fires. It was not important, only assisting Yukina was. All that was left now was finding her, along with the meaningless fact-finding mission.

Of course, there were no clues. Just ash, smoke, and fire.

Turning around in defeat, Hiei suddenly heard a scream. It was soft and muffled, but still recognizable nonetheless. Anxiously, the demon sped in its direction with the air-born ash burning his eyes.

It was not long before he came across a wall of fire. Its inferno licked the sky far above his head, emblazoned in an eerie orange with green sparks. Hm, green sparks?

"Copper…" He thought carefully. Only copper would burn a flame of that shade of green. Suddenly the fire demon was taken a little back, since when did he know that?

Coming to his senses, Hiei gazed at his feet, a layer of white ash upon them. He could have sworn the scream came from here, but it was not, only some peculiar fire. Sighing, the demon closed his eyes for a moment, the cinders still burning within. Upon opening them, he noticed a leaf resting on his dirty boot.

Kneeling down to pick up the frail object, Hiei grew suspicious for the reason this leaf still retained its color. A shockingly beautiful crimson red. Such a paper thin object could not survive in this blaze. Gingerly holding hit, Hiei slowly rose to his feet and to his surprise, saw the red sparrow bird from before.

In its other claw was an orange leaf of the same origin. The bird flew upon Hiei's tense shoulders and gently chirped.

"What mockery is this?"

However, the bird, being a bird, did and could not say anything in return. It chirped, and chirped, soon to fly and snatch the leaf from Hiei's palm. Leaf in beak, the bird flapped its crimson wings.

Another scream came from across the fire. Soon the bird began to act nervous and erratic. It flew past, around, and almost into Hiei's face.

A sickening feeling grew within the demon's stomach. The butterflies within it were growing more numerous. Something was wrong.

He could not take it anymore.

The demon opened his Jagan eye, and desperately searched for the scream's source. The bandage encasing it burned off, revealing its powerful secret. Hiei could see past the flame barrier, a couple feet past, to see Yukina.

Suddenly an agonizing pain overcame Hiei. It scorched at his forehead, growing and expanding. His whole body pulsed, muscles weak and feeble. He could see a horrible fire in front of him, smothering him, invading all around him. Clutching his forehead, Hiei stumbled forward, closer and closer to the wall of fire impeding his path.

_Yukina…_

Before the fire demon knew it, he was standing in its mists. Dead center of the encircling fire. To his surprise, the green wisps were not hot let alone warm. They were cool on his skin, by comparison to the burning in his forehead. He closed his Jagan painfully and its vision disappeared. Only a throbbing soreness remained. His heart pumped hard and painfully. There still remained a faint silhouette in his mind's eye, flashing red, blue, and black.

Waiting for the fading image to disappear, the fire demon paused awkwardly observing the cool flame engulfing him. How odd…

The bird revealed itself again, reflecting a strange brown-purple with its red feathers and green background.

_Yukina!_

The demon ran through the inches of thick blaze to escape clean on the other side. In front of him sat Yukina and an array of different birds.

At first the girl gawked at the demon glowing with green aura. Her dirty face displayed mixed signs of fear and surprised.

"Yukina?" Her brother gasped breathlessly. The crimson bird flew towards the girl, now smiling earnestly. She rose to her feet, tripping forwards only to be caught by Hiei.

The ice maiden appeared withered, exhausted. The amount of panting revealed all. She must have been running constantly through this ashen forest. The birds flew around her with great concern.

Pearl tears were streaming down her cheeks, and the girl hugged Hiei tight. She refused to utter a sound.

Hiei meanwhile stood like a statue. She was_ hugging_ him?

* * *

**A/N:** Well, _PrincessKrystal01_ was right. I guess I was lying. My sincerest, deepest apologies. I am honestly sorry. I really hate excuses, but things have just been so hectic and downright crazy… and sorry.

I'm not even going to make a promise for the next chapter… this is getting pathetic. Any punishment you like. Tar and feathers…draw and quartering… burning alive… your pick. Though I suppose if you kill me now then this story would _never_ finish.


	6. One Chance

**A/N:** Yep. Another chapter for your enjoyment. No more excuses. Apologies for the lack update, but I'm going to leave it at that. Thank you so much to all of you who've stayed to see this story through. The one thing I refuse to do is quit.

Dedicated to: _LilRoseAngel, Princess Krystal 01, hyperaquafairy, loves-winged-dark-angel, and FortySeventhLight._ Thankies!

* * *

Chapter 6: One Chance 

Hiei stood breathlessly afraid to make a move. His sister's arms were around him and it had the demon petrified. Despite her frail outer appearance, her grip was tight and portrayed an image of desperation.

He wanted to hold her in return. He wanted to tell her it was alright. That he would protect her, like a brother should. That he would not let anything of harm come to her. That he would no longer be a terrible sibling and take on some family responsibility.

But he couldn't.

Such a deed would prove fatal. The fire demon did not want to tell Yukina that her brother was a thief, a blood thirsty convict of immense proportions. It would not make the girl happy or at ease, but instead make matters worse and more complicated.

However, he could not move, remaining frozen in her arms. He wanted to be a good brother. He should put his arms around her. That is what a brother would do, right?

…right?

Her sobbing soon became audible and she choked out, "I was so scared."

The fire demon opened his mouth to respond but found no words to do so. He did not know what to say. Standing rigidly, he suddenly realized the true extent of his coldness and cruelty. His _sister_, an ice maiden, was trapped in the mists of an unstoppable fire, and when he finally appeared to save her, he could not even return a gesture of brotherly love. It was not that he did not want to hurt her in such a way, but that he did not know how to be kind. What could he say possibly say?

Noticing his pause of indecision, Yukina gazed up into his crimson eyes and smiled, "Thank you."

"Mm." He blushed, looking away. How could she thank him when he failed so miserably? "Let's get out of here."

Slowly, Yukina released her grip upon him. "Right," she nodded. The birds surrounding her expressed signs of relief of her safety and rested on her shoulders.

To be honest, Hiei felt a brief sensation of regret and sadness. He should have put his arms around her, and now the chance to embrace her was gone forever. Hiei would and could never muster up the courage to express such kindness in a future situation.

He extended his arm towards the green inferno and shot a quick blast of fire at it. It dissipated for a second or so, but quickly returned. The demon faced his exhausted sister, "You're going to have to run through that blaze immediately after I hit it. You'll only have a moment to get through, so timing is everything."

"What about you?"

"It won't harm me. Ready?" Again, the fire demon extended his arm. It had been a long time since he used this attack, since it was after all, very weak. Something Phennix had taught him in her spare time. He had never used it. "Now." Another flash, and the green wall was down. Yukina ran through it with the birds beside her.

He paused nervously to see the wall flare up quickly. "…Yukina?"

"I-I'm alright," she replied almost at a whisper from across the fire. Hiei smiled in relief and sauntered through it. The same sensation of a cool breeze engulfed him. A moment later he was clean on the other side.

"We should get out of here quickly. This way," he pointed and ran softly in said direction. Yukina could barely follow in her exhausted condition.

"Hiei, wait." She panted. Immediately, he returned to her side. "I can't go on."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Carry me?" She blushed, focusing on the floor. "I'm sorry. I would but I ca—" Before she could complete her sentence, Hiei picked her up.

"It'll go much faster this way, anyway." He held her loosely, as though his sister possessed cooties or some other girlish disease. Never in his life was the demon so unbelievably frightened. His heart throbbed in anxiety, and he was unable to look her in the eyes. Throughout the whole endeavor to escape the forest with his ignorant sister in his arms, Hiei continuously thought, "I am so bloody pathetic." It was a stream of perpetual guilt.

He couldn't hold her. He couldn't show her how much he cared. He couldn't tell her the truth. He was living a lie and only he put himself there. This was all his fault. Somehow in a twisted way, he wanted to be back in midst of the fire in her arms. He wanted another chance.

His mind suddenly broke away from its endless banter. He wanted another chance. Was that what he really wanted?

* * *

The two of them were quickly out of the forest, and Hiei released his sister instantly. "You're safe now." 

"Yes, um, thank you."

"Mm," he panted, rubbing his forehead.

A sign of concern was on her face, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, of course," he insisted, though failed to convince Yukina. Truth to tell, the pain from his Jagan was returning. He should have listened to Phennix's advice. Opening his eye earlier was ignorant and downright stupid.

"You sure?"

"Yes!" He yelled with force, scaring his sister briefly. "You must be tired. Come on." The fire demon began grudgingly walking away from the entrance of the forest.

"Where are we going?"

"A place to rest. And then…"

He trailed off as Yukina grasped his hand. Without turning his head, he looked at his hand at the corner of his eye. She _was_ holding it. "And then?"

"Koenma assigned me this mission and it's imperative that I solve it." Before his sister could respond, "Don't ask why."

"Well, um… I'm glad that you got my message." She whispered.

"Message?" He asked. A red bird flew onto his shoulders.

"I asked Aka-chan to get your help. I am so glad he was able to reach you." Yukina paused and then quickly added, "Aka-chan is the bird on your shoulders, so you know."

"Oh. You wanted my help?"

"Of course! And thank you so much."

"I-uh… it was no, um, trouble." He murmured, barely audible. She wanted his assistance over Kuwabara, or Yusuke, or Kurama? The fire demon smile briefly with indescribable warmth.

After a quarter of an hour of walking (though if the siblings weren't so exhausted, then it would have been a few minutes), they approached a lone tree on top of a series of boulders.

"No fire could reach that tree if it's surrounded by unburnable material," Hiei said proudly. The two of them reached the tree quickly as Yukina's birds flew into its branches for rest. The ice maiden released her grip of Hiei's hand and sat up against the tree. After smiling up at her savior, she whispered a quick 'good night' and instantly fell asleep.

The fire demon weakly smiled in return but did not follow suit. Despite his exhaustion and rising pain in his forehead, Hiei was determined to watch over his sister. When she woke up, he'd figure out this fire issue, destroy who was responsible, and then be free.

He walked to the edge of a boulder and plopped down onto it. This place seemed familiar and distant somehow. However, before he could determine why, Hiei fell into a deep sleep and dream….

* * *

**A/N:** How was that guys? Sorry it was short, but this is a very good stopping point, I think. Anyway, more to come soon. 


	7. Secrets

**A/N:** Well, let's see how the next chapter goes, shall we? Thank you reviewers, as always(i.e _shiorifoxiesmom, Lil Rose Angel, FortySeventhLight, and loves-winged-dark-angel)._ It's immensely appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 7: Secrets

He knew he was dreaming.

The atmosphere possessed an air of peace and tranquility. Its fog hovered above the ground with the appearance of a blanket so soft that if touched by unworthy hands, then it would shred to pieces. Every aspect of the environment felt frail, too delicate for mortal eyes. Serenity soaked into the trees, the grass, the rocks, and especially the air.

This had to be a dream.

Walking cautiously, the demon made his way through the landscape, tossing up white fluff with his feet instead of the usual dirt and dust. This taciturn place mocked him with an eerie silence which would chill anyone's heart to ice. Every breath created more wisps of pearly silk to add to the fragile fog.

He did not like this. The air, the ground, the silence… all of it. The infinite peace and stillness in the atmosphere chilled him and his memory. He sensed his soul drifting away with every breath. Soon, all that would remain was emptiness. A shell of tranquility locked away from any kind of emotion, ranging from joy to depression.

Gazing at his calloused hands, he realized the loss of his identity. He did not remember who he was, and his heart began to pound in fear of it. The faster it pulsated, the more alive he felt. A desire welled up deep within him, though its purpose was unknown.

Without understanding why, he suddenly ran towards his original location. His instinct told him that was where he needed to be. That something there was waiting for him.

_Yukina._

He heard himself gasp under his white breath. Surprised, he halted not understanding the meaning of such an outburst. Yet somehow, that word encompassed the feeling of the pounding in his heart. Panting, the demon intently looked at his surroundings, trying to find a clue.

"Hiei."

In shock of hearing his forgotten name, he tripped backwards. Immediately jumping to his feet, the demon saw to whom the words originated. A fiery aura spread from around her, smothering the tranquil world Hiei was previously trapped in. With the smell of ash and flame, his memory quickly returned, and the fire demon was certain this was a dream.

"Phennix."

Her voice was low and calm despite her hard visage, "I'm glad you took at least part of my advice. Though… there's still more for you to do."

"I would never take any of your advice."

A weak smile crawled onto her face, "Even you know that your words are lies. So why say them? Oh I forgot, you barely say anything at all."

"Hmph."

"Case in point proven," she replied and walked forward, with Hiei following suit. "You can't hide it, Hiei. Not from Kurama, me, or Yukina."

The demon walked beside her along a path woven of fire. It gave life and an edge of chaos to the surrounding atmosphere. "What are you talking about?"

"Denial. I would have thought you'd get past stage one."

"You're talking in riddles," he scoffed, "As if I'd make the effort to unravel them."

"If you want Yukina to be happy, then you better show some effort."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He could hear a low laugh from under her breath. She grabbed the fire demon's shoulder for support. Heat spread through his body from her touch, and suddenly Hiei's mind flashed with a treacherous thought.

"You are the one responsible for the fires."

Releasing her grip on Hiei, Phennix's smile disappeared and was replaced with a grim appearance. "No."

"When I used your magical fire, the 'unstoppable' blaze was subdued, and you expect me to think you have nothing to do with it?"

"Of course not." Hiei was taken back by her straight forward responses. This girl thrived on verbal riddles and taunts, but suddenly she grew silent and serious.

"Then how do I stop it?" She refused to say a word. "I need my freedom!" He yelled but remembered the previous dream and restrained himself from clutching her.

"You should focus on what is really important."

"And my freedom is not?"

"Hiei, you were in midst of a land without memory. You could not remember your own name, and yet despite that, you were still driven by what was most important to you. And I can assure you, it wasn't your freedom."

"I…"

"You, what? You can't deny it, and shouldn't have to. Yukina deserves better. She deserves the truth."

"Don't tell me how to live my life," He snarled. "You think you are so wise, and yet you're not. So stop giving me your useless advice, I don't need it."

"Without me, you're lost and deep within you know that. Just as you know, you have to tell your sister the truth. Things will get out of hand if you don't."

"I don't care. I can handle it, and I don't need you. You were never of any help, you traitor."

A fake, frail smile overcame the phoenix at his words, and she did not make a final remark. Nodding her head, she stepped backwards, to be replaced by intoxicating smoke and ash.

The world was spinning around him in flashing bright light.

At last Hiei awoke to find himself on a boulder in spirit world. Immediately he remembered his location and the events leading up to it. He glanced behind him to find Yukina still asleep under the tree. It was growing dark, and yet the horizon was scorched red from the fires not too far off.

Sitting quietly, he placed his chin onto his knees. How did he even get into this mess? The question echoed and vibrated in his mind. He did not want anything to do with these fires, Koenma, Botan, or his insistent dreams. And yet somehow, he wound up here in midst of it all. Despite his constant lust for demon world and freedom, his discontent and anger made the desires insignificant.

The only person or thing preventing the demon from running off to abandon everyone and everything he ever knew (and hated), was Yukina.

After his pitiful inability to show affection, Hiei felt he should at least continue his duty of protecting her. Especially now, she needed him more than ever. Being with her was all he wanted anyway.

The problem was… he couldn't. He could not stay with her, unless he was willing to give up his secret. That was not the case in the slightest. Yukina did not deserve the grief of knowing who her brother actually was. She should not have to deal with that kind of stress.

Hiei pulled his legs closer to his chest, considering the possibility. However, there was no choice. Yukina would never know, and that was final. He was going to stop the fire, while keeping his sister on protection, and once that was over, he'd have his freedom and then…

And then what? The fire demon sighed in defeat. What would he do if did obtain freedom? If he continued to be a merciless thief, then that would only hurt Yukina more. Especially if she ever discovered the truth.

Suddenly, Hiei was consumed in anger. Why was he even debating this? It was final. She was not going to find out. She could not find out. And if she never knew, then he was not obligated to hug her. Right?

He quickly changed the subject in his thoughts, towards Phennix. The girl never denied her relations to the fire. She had something to do with this, and somehow he was only able to contact her through his dreams.

A small beeping noise came from within his jacked pocket, and in surprise, Hiei halted in his tracks, not breathing a sound. Slowly he began to remember… Botan had given him and Kurama each a communicator. A crooked frown crawled onto his face as he snatched it.

Squeezing the buttons on the sides, he heard a click from the communicator, "Hey?"

"Hiei! I'm so glad I got hold of you," responded Kurama quickly. "I deciphered the text in that book you were interested in."

* * *

Meanwhile Yukina eyed Hiei from her shelter underneath the tree. She had awoken at least an hour before he did, and watched him closely. It was apparent to her he was having some form of nightmare, the way he was shaking.

Her heart pounded when he stirred and quickly glanced at her. She was petrified and yet excited at the time, knowing he was here. The ice maiden could not pinpoint why, but whenever she thought about him, her heart would flutter and her cheeks transformed a rosy red.

She never felt this way about anyone before, and was debating confronting him until a noise came from within Hiei's jacket.

Hearing Kurama's voice, she waited intently, wondering what was happening.

* * *

**A/N:** It's incredible! I updated within a week of my previous one. The muse is back, baby! 


	8. Mythological Complex

**A/N:** Ok, I kind of had to do some research for this chapter… since I wanted my phoenix mythology to be as accurate as possible. Yes, I'm weird, but I've accepted this fact and grown to love it. Hehe.

Oh and sorry for the length in time between updates. The muse did not leave, but ever since I got this part-time job, life has been extremely last minute and all over the place. Thankfully today is my day off. First real weekend in about two months. Not to mention, I really wanted to think this chapter through.

Dedications to all reviewers as per usual.

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Chapter 8: Mythological Complex

With his ear close to the communicator, Hiei studied the ground with his eyes impatiently. "Well? What did you find?"

Sensing the ferocity in the fire demon's voice, Kurama laughed. "Relax man. Botan relayed your mission to me after you were sent out from Koenma's office, and I can't help but find it a huge coincidence you discovered this book.

"Just tell me what is in it already!"

"Sure, sure. Of course, your majesty. I'm basically going to read what is says. There are several different stories here. All basically the same though.

"The Phoenix is a large bird that is revered around the world as a symbol of immortality and re-incarnation.

"In Greek legend, the Phoenix lived in Arabia near a cool well. Every morning as the Sun rose and dawn broke, it would immerse itself in the cool clear water of the well and sing such a delightful and sweet song that the Sun God would stop his chariot to listen to the beautiful sound. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak tree.

"Ovid tells the story of the Phoenix as follows: "Most beings spring from other individuals; but there is a certain kind which reproduces itself. The Assyrians call it the Phoenix. It does not live on fruit or flowers, but on frankincense and odoriferous gums. When it has lived five hundred years, it builds itself a nest in the branches of an oak tree… In this it collects cinnamon, and spikenard, and myrrh, and of these materials builds a pile on which it deposits itself, and dying, breathes out its last breath amidst odors. From the body of the parent bird, a young Phoenix issues forth, destined to live as long a life as its predecessor. When this has grown up and gained sufficient strength, it lifts its nest from the tree, and carries it to the city of Heliopolis in Egypt, and deposits it in the temple of the Sun." Such is the account given by a poet.

"His instinct teaches him to keep out of the way of the tyrant of the creation, man, for if he were to be hot at, some wealthy glutton would surely devour him, though there were no more in the world."

Listening intently, Hiei was surprised to hear Kurama stop. "That's all there is?"

"Well, all that's important anyway. Don't you see the connection to spirit world? There is only one phoenix in the world at a time. It builds a fire in an oak tree every five hundred years that only its new-born can stop, and the bird fears humans and evil creatures because they can devour and steal its powers."

Along with such reasoning came an extended silence from both sides. This information was obviously important, seeing as how Yukina's bird led him straight to the book containing such information. And his dreams with Phennix. And the fires… all of the premonitions and foretelling was true, so did that mean only Phennix could stop the fires?

But the more pressing matter which concerned Hiei was if she spoke the truth about the fires, then did the same go for Yukina? What was going on here?

"Hiei, you there?…Didn't you use to have partner that was a Phoenix?"

"Yeah, a traitor though. She disappeared in the middle of stealing an incredibly rare and sacred item. Worth fortunes. The finances I got from that paid for my Jagan eye," he added numbly. "I barely got away. And I never really saw her again."

"And, when was this?"

"I don't know."

"Well, is she 500 years old this year?"

"I wouldn't know."

"You better find out Hiei. The only way it seems to stop this fire is to find her, or the phoenix following her."

* * *

A/N: Sincerest, sincerest apologies for how short this chapter is. It is extremely short… Sorry! I seriously wanted to think out this one better…but I guess it didn't really work out as I had planned. Next chapter will all be in Yukina's point of view. Hehe, so stay tuned guys.

Oh, and yes, the phoenix actually uses an oak tree. Ha! I told you the description of the tree in the first chapter would come back to haunt you… Well sort of. And I got my information from: Goodrich, Norma Lorre. _The Age of Fable._ (p.353-4). Hehe, I don't know where the book went, so I can't write down the rest of the bibliography stuff. My bad!


	9. Confession

**A/N:** Hey everybody! The reason why I haven't updated lately is because I wanted to finish my other story, and now that I have, I can focus on this one. Hurray!

This chapter is dedicated to _trunksgirl85, Lil Rose Angel, Forbiddensoul562, loves-winged-dark-angel, FortySeventhLight,_ and_ Yashimi Minamino_for their lovely reviews (oh, and dealing with my lack up updates).

Lastly, this whole chapter will be in Yukina's point of view.

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Chapter 9: Confession

The ice maiden sat up against a tree, gazing at the person in front of her. He appeared overly stressed, and Yukina was suddenly worried about the fire demon. The anxiety in his voice was obvious even to her, as she wondered what Hiei was discussing with Kurama over his radio. Despite recognizing his voice, she found it impossible to hear his exact words, and the curiosity was killing her.

Interested, she knelt forward, her fingers pressed against the grass. The wind rattled her ears, impeding her ability to hear further. Determination to understand the conversation rose within her, and Yukina found her heart pounding at the mere thought of Hiei. The sensation confused the maiden, as she edged closer to him.

What was it about the fire demon that she found so heart-throbbing? Her feelings towards him were alien, for she felt a strong indescribable connection to him. Sighing with an inward smile, she recalled the countless times he came to her rescue. When she was kidnapped and forced to cry pearl tears, when the dark tournament stadium was collapsing, and especially when the fires of the forest threatened to consume her, Hiei always appeared to protect her.

That was reason for her to believe he cared about her. Or at least so she told herself. The whole situation between them, if there was any situation in the first place, seemed overwhelmingly confusing, complicated, and awkward for Hiei. She could sense him distancing himself from her every time the maiden expressed her appreciation.

The questions circling her mind were unbearable. She had to tell him she felt affection towards him. She had to find out if he returned it. She simply had to know.

Exhaling uneasily, Yukina dusted the ash off her garment, rising to her feet. Her body remained sore and weak from the smoke fumes, barely able to remain standing. Frail, she trudged towards the figure in front of her, not entirely sure on a course of action. Perhaps this was not such a good idea…

Upon hearing her heavy footsteps, the fire demon turned his head. Surprise covered his face, as he said, "Kurama, I'll get back to you." Hiding his only means of communication into his pocket, the demon added, "Is… uh, something wrong?"

She blushed, partly from fatigue but mostly embarrassment. Her countenance must have looked down-trodden, as she wondered what was flooding his mind. "No, no, nothing." Sighing, the ice maiden looked away and began to fidget her fingers, "Well actually, I wanted to… tell you something."

The fire demon, nervous, rose to his feet, facing her. "Mm?"

"I… uh," she bit her lip, anxiously. Her throat was dry; her heart: pulsing. Yukina smiled weakly, trying to approach the subject in a different way, "I wanted to thank you again for rescuing me. You see…"

"What is it?"

"When I was stuck in that fire, you… well, you were the only person I thought of and wanted to see. And I couldn't help but notice that you're always helping me when I seem to need it most. You're just," she paused, her cheeks burning red, to see a mixed expression on the fire demon's face.

That could not be a good sign for her.

"Just so incredible and I-I dunno," she stuttered. "Every time I meet you it's like my heart is on fire. I can't explain it. I guess…I-I'm trying to say that… that I lo--" She paused, realizing love was too strong a word and the continued, "I like you so much. And um…" The maiden looked up into eyes and was deeply disheartened upon seeing fear and disgust. "Hiei?"

The demon was speechless, standing utterly still, his eyes dilating rapidly.

Sweat crawled down the ice maiden's face, as she inspected his reaction from head to toe. The truth of her confession was not yet fully disclosed, but he still showed signs of understanding and revulsion. Perhaps Yukina never should have brought the conversation up, as she began to scold herself for it. She did not understand her feelings. How could she expect Hiei to comprehend or return them?

She stepped back, hoping to sink into the grass behind her. Or to vanish from his view. Or to simply retreat. That was a better course of action then gawking at the fire demon's anguished state. But, to her surprise, he rested his hand on her exhausted shoulder, preventing her from fleeing.

Yukina smiled timidly, looking into his eyes. She waited patiently for him to respond, to reject her, to claim he loved her…to do anything. However, he remained silent, transfixed in shock, and the two of them stood mutely together for what felt to her like an eternity.

And she waited. And waited, but still no response.

"Hiei?

He blinked several times, opening but then closing his mouth as if debating precisely what to say. The conflict rising up in his throat was overly apparent to Yukina, as she looked up at him with pitying eyes. Fear consumed her, wondering the possible thoughts running through his mind. Somehow she doubted he was considering a way to reject her. And yet she sensed he was not going to embrace her with love either. She could see deep into his eyes another issue he needed to address. But what was it?

"…Hiei? Um, I'm sorry… I, uh, didn't mean to… be out of line," she glared at the floor desperately evading the demon's eyes. However, his hand remained steady on her shoulder, and the warmth emanating from it made her heart leap. Yukina found herself overwhelmed with emotion as she blinked back tears. Why was she crying? Why did this bother her so much? Without realizing her intentions, she embraced the Hiei, hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, not entirely certain what she was apologizing for.

"No," at long last came his voice, cracking slightly. "I should be saying that."

"Why? I don't--" Yukina refused to look up, afraid of what she might see, as she buried her head deep into his black shirt.

"Understand?" She sensed a long pause of confusion; his heart was pounding through his shirt, and she could hear its every beat. "I… can't."

"Can't what?" To her surprise, the fire demon returned her tight embrace. He rested his head upon hers and exhaled slowly.

"Don't cry over me." Yukina held her breath, deeply confused. How did he know she was fighting back tears? And besides, he was avoiding her question, and in essence her confession of affection. She had to know how he felt. Whether he returned his care or not, she simply could not wait any longer.

"But Hiei…don't you care about me? You saved me all those times, and-and I thought that you…that I… um, well…"

Silence.

"Hiei?"

"I… I…."


	10. Rhyme or Reason

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews everyone! I guess because it's summer, more and more people have time on their hands to see and read my widdle story. Oh, and yeah cliffies are evil, but I usually get writer's block and am not sure what to do until a little bit later (though I'm pretty certain no one wants to know that simply because I'm just giving excuses). I have so much more to say (and to comment on everyone's responses, but I'll refrain since everyone wants to read the story, not the author's little rants. Hee hee hee).

This chapter is dedicated to the following: _Jessica, Ryukotsusei, Shiorifoxiesmom, ForbiddenSoul562, Yoshimi Minamono, Amazing, FortySeventhLight, Jax9, DarkMage6, Princess Krystal01, trunksgirl85, Lil Rose Angel, CEED, Serena-Demon Goddess, and Kurayami no Sayokyoku._ Thanks oh-so-much!

Well, without further adieu, we have the next chapter (but not the final one, despite its title) of Rhyme vs. Reason. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 10: Rhyme or Reason

He was at a complete loss for words. For emotion, for a course of action. What could he say? What could he do? The thoughts raced through him, frightening the demon like nothing he ever feared before. He knew Yukina's face rested inches from hers but failed to truly acknowledge her presence, for he was too panicked from her words.

Desperate, Hiei tried to focus, retracing his steps.

The demon had minded his own business, confused by Kurama's certainty that Phennix was involved in the fires, which he was sent to defeat (if one could "defeat" fire, that is). Footsteps echoed behind him, and immediately he recognized them to belong to Yukina. He turned, finding fear and hesitation in her eyes. Upon asking his beloved sister her troubles, the demon soon realized (or thought he realized) her concern.

She knew! She knew they were siblings and was thinking of a way to confront him. Certainly, Yukina felt anger towards him. For lying. For toying with her. For… confusing and in essence tormenting her. He knew she was in search of her brother but had refused to tell the truth. And now she wanted to chastise him, to torment him as he had her. For revenge.

Nervous and breathless, he listened to her words carefully despite his heart throbbing in his ears, and the panic raging within his chest. The demon tried to steady himself, waiting for her to announce her revelation, but to his surprise, she did not. Instead, she revealed a more problematic situation: her love for him, but not of brotherly love, one more elusive and dangerous. A passionate affection that only lovers shared.

And she felt this way towards him?

At first, he was relieved. His secret remained hidden. However, fate was not kind to him, for as soon as his panic retreated, it returned with exponential intensity. This was all wrong; Yukina should have remained innocent, unaware of Hiei's whereabouts and antics, but to the contrary, she took notice of the demon with great curiosity. His plans failed, backfiring on him in a way Hiei never imagined possible.

He was her brother, not her lover. It was wrong. It was disgusting. The thought revolted him, as he stood utterly motionless. But more importantly, how could he have done this to Yukina? Without recognizing it, the demon had played a cruel game with her. In protecting her as a duty, she analyzed it to be passionate affection. Toying with her emotions like a sick puppet. Hiei was suddenly unaware of which appalled him more: Yukina's naïve love for her brother, or Hiei's deceit and unwitting heartlessness.

Irony if he ever saw it. By trying to avoid her through his mysteriousness, he attracted her.

He certainly could not reveal this to Yukina. To stop this game, not only would he have to reveal his identity, but also the compilation of lies he fed to her. And what if he did that? She would despise him; curse his name, run away in despair.

As the possibility crossed his mind he suddenly felt weak and overwhelmed. And while his body grew fragile with self-hatred and doubt, Yukina embraced him. After envisioning her fury towards him, Yukina's kindness shocked him beyond expression. Tears, however, did not fall down his cheeks, no matter how exposed the demon felt. She supported him without understanding his crimes.

How could this be?

"I'm sorry." The voice slapped him with surprise and confusion. At first he thought the words reluctantly escaped his mouth, but as reality slowly awakened, his endless banter of self-disgust faded, and he realized this came from Yukina.

He frowned, what was she apologizing for? It was he who lied, who knew master thievery, who accidentally tricked her into loving him when in reality she should hate him. His sister made no sense, but perhaps she understood something he did not.

"No, I should be saying that."

"Why? I don't-"

"Understand?" he interrupted her, not wanting her to continue, possibly taunting her to admit further affection. He had no true options. The demon was cornered with all his ideas ending in her despising him. After all these years, he never thought of this possible outcome and certainly not how to handle it. What could he do or say, really? Nothing; he could not say anything to console her. "I… can't."

"Can't what?"

_Can't tell you the truth_, he thought bitterly. But he could. The demon easily could and should have. He only wanted her to remain innocent so she would be unaware that her brother was a thief. She would be disgraced and hate him. He refused to tell her because… because he was selfish.

He was selfish.

He wanted to yell, to cry, to do anything to avoid his revelation, but failed to do so. Its seed had already planted itself, slowly sprouting and growing. He told himself his lies were for Yukina's well being, but it was for his. How could she possibly love him for that?

She loved him in a way Hiei could not possibly return, and failing to make her happy for her sake and not his made him feel dirty. Remorseful for all he had done, the demon returned her embrace. She did not deserve him, but worst of all, he could not reveal why.

"Don't cry over me," he whispered, but actually meant to say_, don't forgive me. I can't blame you._

"But Hiei…don't you care about me? You saved me all those times, and-and I thought that you…that I… um, well…"

Why was she pushing him? Did she want to feel pain? What was wrong with him for tricking her this way? And yet, perhaps Yukina was simply unaware and wanted him to love her the way she obviously had grown to love him.

Sighing inaudibly, he considered another option not yet thought of. What if he did not tell her the truth and instead agreed to share her affections? She would be happy, and he would suffer knowing the truth. That they were siblings, not meant to be lovers. The disgust of such knowledge would surely torment him, such as Hiei deserved…

"Hiei?"

And yet…

"I… I…"

Her happiness would be built upon a stack of lies and deceit. If she were to know this, then he only prolonged and worsened his own fears. What was he to do? With all his strength, the demon sought guidance. Either path chose his own destruction. And both eventually led to Yukina's. Reasoning directed him to the truth: the connections between them. While Rhyme, melody, harmony steered him to Yukina's happiness.

Even if for a moment, it was worth it…right? Or was his mind playing tricks on him again? Was he being selfish?

He looked deeply into his sister's eyes to find sadness and concern. "I'm sorry," he said, hoping words would favor and come to his aide. "I… don't know, uh, what to say. There are just, well, so many things to tell…" Hiei paused to see Yukina hanging on to his every word. "It's not that simple; I uh, well… care… about you, and that's-the-truth-but um, it's a-a lot more complicated than that. And I just… I can't explain it right now."

"But I need to know," she pleaded. "Please…"

This was it. The path of Rhyme or the path of Reason. What was it going to be? He could not decide, or refused to, whichever one it was, the whole notion seemed trivial. What was he afraid of? However, the demon frowned knowing the rhetorical question revealed how truly nervous and weak he was.

"I l-lo-ove you and all bu---"

"You do!" she squealed, her concern vanishing completely. The ice maiden hugged him tighter, refusing to let go. "I'm so…so relieved."

He frowned. After all that, he aimed to tell her the truth only to accidentally follow his path of Rhyme. Just his luck, the exact opposite of what he intended and now she would hate him with more fury than the fire demon could imagine (and he could envision a surprising amount of hatred).

"But I need to stop these fires first," he said, finishing his previous sentence in a way the demon never expected to. Today was just full of unwanted surprises.


	11. Destination

A/N: I had a little trouble thinking of this chapter. Darn writer's block; not to mention, I was conned into writing (well, co-writing) another story. Ack, so much writing. My muse is suffocating here. My poor widdle hawk, he really does suffer for me (yes my muse takes the manifestation of a hawk, and no I'm not crazy).

Oh, a really IMPORTANT announcement! I'm going to change my screen name to RubyHawk in a few weeks, so when you see this story next updated, it'll be by that name and not emeraldLINX. I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up, so no one will be too confused.

Ok lastly, dedications. Thanks reviewers!

* * *

Chapter 11: Destination

"Oh right, the fires," Yukina echoed, suppressing her relief over Hiei's previous response. She smiled and released her grip from Hiei's torso. "Can I come with you?"

The demon opened his mouth slightly to answer, but Yukina interrupted him with honest innocence before he could reject her. "I promise I won't get in the way! And besides… I um, need you to protect me."

"Oh, uh, ok," he exhaled, walking into the distance. The ice maiden immediately followed suit, jogging in her sandals with difficulty. Eventually catching up with his brisk walk, she smiled at him, but he did not return it.

She gently took his hand but was surprised to notice it jerk back instinctively before allowing her to hold it. "Is their something wrong?"

"No," he said weakly, but after clearing his throat he reiterated with more vigor, "Nothing's wrong."

"Oh. Well, where are we going?" She asked. However, her thoughts were racing with too much excitement to truly care about their location as long as she was with him.

He said that he loved her! What more could she ask her? Though, the naïve maiden never experienced this sort of thing before. She did not know how to respond, really, or how to understand Hiei's physical responses. He seemed nervous, but honest. Was that what normal boys did? She frowned, realizing that after receiving an answer to her question concerning his affections, it only raised more. Perhaps, she should ask someone more knowledgeable?

"Koenma's." Yukina smiled briefly. Botan was Koenma's assistant. Maybe she could ask her? "I need to tell him what I've found out and drop you off there."

"But I thought I was coming," she cried out, upset at the thought of separating from him.

"You are, just not the whole way," he paused, looking at the pleading in her eyes. "No!"

"But…but…"

To her surprise, Hiei knelt down on his knees and held her shoulders. His voice was calmer than before, but still uncertain. "You can't. It'll be safe there… and I can't have anything happen to you."

I'm not going to cry, she thought. She bit her lip, eyes watering, as she looked at his face. The maiden could see the apparent affection, but something was amiss. Hiei normally acted differently, colder, quieter. She did not know what it was, but it made her feel uncomfortable.

Before she could answer, he picked her up onto his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, in surprise as he said, "I'll go faster if you're not running behind me."

* * *

A/N: I'm really sorry everyone. This is all I can get out of this chapter. Writer's block is a bi$ch! Heh, I think my author's notes are longer than the actual chapter… 


	12. Complications

A/N: Hey we're approaching the one year anniversary of when I started this fic! Wow... I need to update more frequently...

Dedications to my faithful reviewers: Thanks everyone! (Special thanks to FortySeventhLight for recommending me on her bio section. I should really get around to reading her one-shots). Also, this chapter is especially dedicated to Imabubble because she requested (for a few weeks) that I put in some Sensui-Itsuki yaoi. Mm…yaoi… Unfortunately, it won't be extreme yaoi, simply because one, I'm really bad at writing and two, it wouldn't fit into my story (I had to work really hard to figure out how I'd put this pairing in without totally screwing up the plot, and somehow, I promise it will fit in).

And because I haven't updated for what feels to be an eternity, let me just recap so no one is lost (humor me if you remember):

Hiei agrees to help Koenma to stop the fires because of the reward: his freedom (i.e. no more community service with Yusuke) and because he has a vision concerning Yukina's safety. When he finds and rescues her, she admits that she has a crush on him, and she takes his resulting statements the wrong way. So now, they're heading back to Koenma's place so Hiei can debrief him about what he's figured out, and get some information on Phennix (the person who appears to be behind the fires…or so Kurama thinks after researching a book about phoenixes and their odd powers), and to put Yukina in safe hands. His sister meanwhile, is suspicious of Hiei (about what she's not sure) so she has decided to ask Botan when they arrive at Koenma's place.

Oh and on a final note, I'm making this twice as long as my average chapters simply to avenge my short pathetic ones.

Eep, long author's note! Gomenesai.

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Chapter 12: Complications 

Hiei trudged through the long hallways, red curtains hovering around him. Light filtered through the ceiling. Darkness suited his shady personality, so he avoided the brightness, hands in his pockets. The demon stared at the tiles ahead of him, so strongly he could see beyond the polished gray and into the abyss below it.

"…Hiei?" A soft voice called out.

He stopped abruptly, and then smiled weakly (if one could consider the twitch of a mouth to be a smile), seeing it belonged to Yukina. Exhaling, the demon scolded himself for thinking in circles, nearly forgetting his sister's presence entirely.

"Hm?"

She blushed briefly, "Oh, nothing. Do you know you're way around here?"

He shrugged. Of course he did. He stole items from the palace's vault dozens of times. Layouts, hidden passageways, codes and locks, everything and anything a thief would need to know for a heist.

"Not very well," he lied. Guiltily his eyes fell to the floor. He never realized that he twisted the truth so often. "I just know the way from last time is all."

"Oh, well hehe… you must have a good memory then?"

"More than you can imagine." The words slipped out of his mouth before the fire demon could snatch them back. Panic raged in his lungs. She wouldn't know he was referring to his childhood memories of her, would she?

The ice maiden laughed uneasily, as though releasing slight nervousness. "That's really good though. You don't need to look so sad about it."

She began to walk forwards, gaining unusual confidence despite being a stranger in too grand an environment.

Her brother followed, somewhat intrigued. This felt alien to him. Confused, he listened patiently.

"I think a memory of the past… or a person is a terrible thing to lose," she paused nervously but added, seeing Hiei's obvious interest, "I wish I remembered my brother. Or knew what he looked like."

His sister was conversing with him. The demon blinked, awe-stricken by such opportunity. Other than the common courtesies, he rarely spoke two worthwhile words to her or anyone else.

"Why do you say that?"

"He's my brother."

"Yes, but you've never seen him before. Do you even know if he cares about you? What if… he was a crook or a murderer?" He looked at her indifferently so that she would not suspect him, and after swallowing silently, he asked, "…or a liar?"

Hiei gazed at her face as they, now, strolled through the less menacingly elegant hall. Her eyes were glazed with sadness, but before he could apologize she responded.

"But I don't need to see him to know what he looks like on the inside." She turned to look at him, lovingly, "Have you ever felt connected to someone before? You don't need to see them to know what they look like or how they feel."

"What about the---"

"Being a crook or murderer or liar? I… I'm not sure." The demon, disheartened, needed an answer.

"Would you hate him?"

Her eyes wavered, as she gnawed at one of her fingernails absentmindedly. "I don't like fighting. Or war. Or crime…Or lying. But I've never met him before. I may feel a connection to him, but that doesn't mean I know whether or not he is any of those things."

"But if he WAS?" Hiei was desperately trying to avoid speaking directly to her as a brother, but was not entirely certain if he was doing it successfully.

"I'd only know that he was one of those things if I ever met him. Then I could tell you."

The demon gazed ahead at the floor. He could sense it in her voice. He could _sense_ that she would hate him if she ever found out their real relationship. That he was her brother and not her potential lover.

If only he could explain it to her. Yukina was not in love with him, but confused. And all because of him, because he lied to her.

"Aren't you going to say something?" she asked earnestly.

He failed to look at her face, the guilt rising steadily. What could he possibly tell her? Any possible action he thought of would hurt her in one way or another. "We're almost there."

The ice maiden stared at him, confused. They were conversing, and he suddenly halted it without any real reason. Was she trying to hard? Was this her fault? She gazed into his eyes, innocently, afraid as to what she might find. To her surprise and distant relief, they were not glazed with boredom or hatred or disgust, but with faint sadness.

She felt the urge to hug him, to tell him that whatever concerned him she would be more than willing to listen. That she loved him with all her heart and soul, but doubt stopped her. Yukina was a frail little girl; how could she aide him?

Though, as she looked at him, the ice maiden observed he appeared even more so. A lost, frail, little boy.

Of course, she knew that neither of them were children. Not to mention, Hiei was not lost, little maybe, but certainly not frail.

If only she could assure him that she was right beside him….

"It's quite safe here," he turned to face her, his visage: returned to indifference. "I need to speak to Koenma, so wander wherever you want. Just don't leave, and I'll find you. All right?"

"Right," she nodded to his back, for he had already turned around, walking through a large doorway.

* * *

Alone, Yukina wandered from hall to hall, room to room. As she walked deeper and deeper into the palace, she found more people. Ogres and demons were all in a tizzy. Running to and fro, they frantically searched for the correct filing cabinet for the oversized weight of papers they carried. Some stamped the papers, while others wrote them out. Even more were yelling at each other. 

She had never seen so many people all at once (for the exception of the dark tournament). The ice maiden wondered how often they were allowed breaks, how much they were paid, if given any reward at all. Maybe all of them owed a great debt one way or another and were forced to work in the palace. Or, of course, they could just be working with an hourly wage and possessing no grandeur life.

Sighing, she walked around the ogres, ever deeper into the palace. Slowly, as the more rooms she entered and left, the less people there were. Absent-mindedly, Yukina wondered why, but the concern vanished quickly from her.

Somehow she wanted to be alone; alone with her thoughts to guide her through the growing darkness. The thoughts were, to no one's surprise, of Hiei. They were hazy, for she could not pinpoint what it was she was thinking about. His peculiar habits, their conversation, his eyes?

Yukina only saw his face in her mind, but no words came to aide her. Though one thing she did wonder was whether or not he was thinking about her.

Constantly walking, she accidentally approached a dead end. She could easily turn left of right down this new corridor, but not straight, as she had done for nearly an hour or so. Her first logical action was to turn around and return to where she came. There was no need to become hopelessly lost. Though, as she did, her ears picked up a faint noise.

Curiosity overwhelmed her. She had not seen anyone for the longest time. Who could be here?

Cautiously, Yukina turned left down the lightless hallway. She breathed softly, treaded quietly, and dared not to make a sound. Soon fiery yellow light crawled along the walls.

Arriving at an abrupt turn in the corridor, she peaked around it to find two young men. One tan with dark hair and the other peculiarly pale with sea green locks. One carried a black tape in his hands, while the other held the torch.

Not entirely sure how, she knew they were leaving the corridor and would soon find her spying on them. Frightened, she wanted to flee, but her body did not. Without knowing why, Yukina knew Hiei would come to help her if she was in trouble. He always did.

Much to her relief, they stopped unwittingly approaching her. One of them, the pale one, held back the other by the wrist.

"Sensui…" he smiled. "There's no hurry."

At first the man opened his mouth to argue, but slowly returned the smile. "I suppose not. They're too stupid to find us here anyway."

Yukina, greatly confused by the situation, watched intently.

"Though, Itsuki, I'm not sure if now's the time…" Sensui teased slightly, as the man with sea green hair pulled him closer. Releasing his grip on Sensui's wrist, Itsuki rested his arms on his lover's shoulders. The tanned man, still holding his precious black tape, pinned Itsuki to a nearby wall, and passionately kissed him.

At this point, Yukina was greatly intrigued and utterly terrified simultaneously. Her mind told her to turn away, but her eyes were locked in place.

They embraced tightly for what appeared to an eternity, with Itsuki twirling Sensui's incredibly short, dark hair. He smiled and whispered, "Too bad there's no corn around."

Sensui laughed heartily at that but replied, "You wish."

The ice maiden, however, had no idea what they were talking about. Some kind of inside joke, perhaps? Not knowing why, she was slightly disappointed when the dark haired man positioned himself in front of Itsuki at an angle such that she could not see anything.

* * *

Inside Koenma's oversized room, Hiei stood silently, waiting for the little child to finish stamping his papers. He was tired of acting obedient. He just wanted to get out of there. 

"Are you done yet?" the demon snapped with apparent irritation.

Raising his head with annoyance, Koenma's face suddenly (and surprisingly) lit up. "Hiei! I didn't realize you were here. Please tell me you have good news."

Hiei grimaced. Botan had directed him in and even told Koenma that he was here. He waited for what felt like hours, and the child did not recognize his presence until now?

"No, I don't," he snarled, a little too harshly.

"Well, then what do you want?" Koenma sighed, used to the demon's charismatic charm.

"I may have found a lead, but it's an impractical one. Kurama would know the details…."

"And here I am," replied the voice from behind the demon, as Hiei felt a hand on his shoulder. "I decided to come over after last speaking to you."

"And how did you get here?"

"Botan. But we have more important things to discuss…"

* * *

A/N: Hah, 2000 words (exluding author's notes)! That's twice my usual. I am now content. So yeah, the next chapter is definitely going to be an important one. What's going to happen to Yukina? What course of action are they going to take concerning the fires? And most importantly, who is going to find out about, Yukina x Hiei? WHY am I asking you all these question? 


	13. Domino Effect

A/N: I… am free! The two AP physics exams are over; yay! And so with the heavy weight lifted, the young writer sprints to Fry's to buy Kingdom Hearts II for inspiration (and Riku-Sora drooling).

Yup, yup. Apologizing at this point would be… sad. I really needed the spare time to study and sleep and, well, do… stuff. Thanks everyone who pm-ed me during that time. I'm glad that some people haven't forgotten my widdle story!

But as a present, I wrote a 5,000 word chapter. Considering that I'm usually a lazy bum and only write 1,000 words, this is a serious stretch for me. I'm going to write chapters this long from now on!

Thanks everyone for your support; I love you all!

(Oh and p.s. if any of you guys are in CA and are going to famine, I'll have a booth selling my artwork! So stop by, ok? My buddies and I are naming our made-up art company Studio-studio-studios. Hehehe… Hey, a name is a name, right?)

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Chapter 13: Domino Effect

Cradled in a corner of the hallway, Yukina gnawed at her lip impatiently. How long were these two going to _stay_ there? Sensui and Itsuki, or so she remembered the two calling each other, stood in a hall adjacent to hers, and the cacophony of noise they were making was nothing short of impossible not to notice. It baffled her to think about exactly what could create such noise, but in many ways she did not want to, or refused not to turn her head around the corner and sneak a peak. What if it… was something she was not supposed to see?

The biting of her lip soon ended only to be replaced with the fiddling of her fingers; sitting on the cold floor listening to this… this, whatever it was… had to be the most nervous experience she ever encountered. Her fingers soon found a strand of hair resting silently on her shoulder and quickly began to tangle themselves in it.

It was a nervous habit she picked up.

Yukina never used to have an obsessive need to tangle and untangle her hair. No, in fact she barely would touch anything when she was young. Just… stand absent-mindedly, sit quietly… remain still as a statue, a broken machine. Her eyes lowered to her clothing, wondering exactly where this habit began, but nothing came to mind immediately. Oh wait, now she remembered!

Shortly after she met Hiei and the others for the first time. The ice maiden had remained in isolation and was tortured and then they had come to rescue her. Shaken by the whole experience, Yukina had been grateful to see this not-exactly-tall dark man save her. But something in this man frightened her, the absence of warmth in his eyes… she could see him, just see so clearly that he intended to murder her captor. Her heart had frozen, and she begged the emotionless man not to do it… and… he complied.

Hiei…

Then the fear she had directed towards those lifeless expressions had evaporated. Yukina had been so happy! So content that someone had listened to her, but almost as quickly as her fear was lost, a new sensation quickly replaced it. Anxiety, the kind aroused from her nervousness around him. And so the hair tangling was the result. Whenever she saw him, Yukina would twirl those icy locks to divert frustration at her inability to speak long with him.

But now that all had changed… right?

She confessed to him; confessed that she loved him, and Hiei said he loved her. What more to it was there?

And yet…

That one moment… she could clearly see disgust in his eyes, his eyebrows rising in utter shock… what could that mean…

But she could not think! Not like this. Those two were still inches from her, not regarding her presence at all, and Yukina had half the mind to stand up, reel around the corner, and ask for silence. But lucky for her, she didn't have to.

_Click. Clack. Click…_

The sound of footsteps, and not far off too. Releasing some of her hair from the delicate fingers, Yukina parted her lips slightly in anticipation, and much to her relief the sounds of Sensui and Itsuki ceased rather abruptly. She could hear a pout from one of them, not entirely sure from whom, and soon their awkward presence disappeared.

They just… left? At the sound of footsteps? If she had known they were so easily frightened by something so trivial, Yukina could have scared them off herself. As if the maiden could summon up the courage to do _that._ She lifted herself gently, using the wall as leverage and made not a sound.

Courage, now that was something she didn't have. A sigh escaped her mute figure as Yukina berated herself. She shouldn't think that to herself. Confessing to Hiei took some form of courage, right? Though… (her fingers began tugging at her hair again) it was not her courage; Yukina simply borrowed Hiei's. Looking into his concerned eyes gave her what little resolve she had.

Funny, how his eyes had so many… faces. She could never quite predict what emotion they'd portray. Sometimes Yukina found herself in wonder of them, and others, in fear or doubt. Whatever each case was, Yukina never wanted to stray from them. And the thought of not seeing his beautiful red eyes now deflated her slightly. She wanted to find him.

Well, Hiei had said he'd find her. Maybe these footsteps belonged to his?

She closed her eyes, listening intently to the rhythm of it, the repetitive clicking. No, those did not belong to Hiei. The echoing steps were too light on the ground; perhaps a woman. A woman? Her guesses were not ones to base judgment on, but they were enough to convince Yukina to leave her spot in the hallway. She headed in direction of where she thought the source of the sound was, but did not do so in any hurry. If they were not Hiei's, then she saw no point in it.

But her curiosity rose as the dark hallways grew in brightness, tinted in an orange-red hue.

"Hello?" she wavered, holding her hair in one hand and trailing the wall with the other. Upon hearing no response she quickened her pace and said louder, "is anyone there?"

"Why yes," a voice whispered from behind her, and Yukina suddenly jumped forwards. She stumbled a few feet until finally falling to her knees, and then turned to face the person to whom the voice belonged.

It _was_ a woman.

Her lips curled into a placid smile as the woman let her eyelids droop slightly. Normally Yukina would have felt a pang of fear at this woman's orange skin, crimson locks, and eerie black eyes, but she felt safe. Not because Hiei existed in the same building as her and promised to help her if needed, but because the menacing woman appeared paradoxically harmless.

So when the woman extended a helping hand, Yukina took it and pulled herself to her feet. Glad to be strongly rooted on the ground again, she smiled weakly under her bangs and studied to entrancing silver pendant on the woman's cloak. Though, Yukina did not look into her eyes, or at least, not immediately.

"Ah, so you must be Yukina," were her only words, quiet and innocent yet strangely condescending.

She lifted her eyes, but not necessarily her head, to meet the charcoal ones of her new acquaintance. They were nothing like the red jewels Hiei sported but shared the same cold stare. She shuddered under the woman's stare.

"Yes?"

"Nothing," she replied absently, rubbing her neck slightly, turning to stare at the oh-so-fascinating wall. "I had wished I never had to meet you."

Yukina simply… wilted at this.

What did she do now? This woman obviously knew _something_ about Yukina, but the knowledge was not mutual. And the fact that whatever she _did_ know disappointed the woman had made Yukina awkwardly aware of herself. Her hair was tangled and in a mess, her knees slightly darkened from the fall she had just taken, the fatigue in her eyes from sitting through that noise not too long ago. Yukina did not need a mirror to know she probably looked terrible but…was she really a disappointment?

"Do not look so sad," she frowned. "You would not want to have to meet me either."

Why the riddles? She tilted her head to convey a confused expression to the woman. And it was only then that Yukina realized how much taller this woman was than her. True, Yukina was not exactly the model of height, but this difference between them affected her greatly. Yukina probably_ was_ a disappointment.

Huddling lower, Yukina whispered, "How would I know that?"

"Well, I suppose I'm about to tell you." A hand rested on Yukina's shoulders suddenly, and the woman nudged her to walk forwards. Once Yukina complied (though had not done so immediately), however, the woman retracted her hand (which was surprisingly hot as Yukina noticed) and added with a quiet sigh, "Have you heard of me?"

"No, not particularly," but Yukina quickly wanted to retrace her words upon seeing the deepened frown the woman showed off. "Um… sorry, should I know?"

"No, no, not at all actually," she laughed quietly, allowing her arms to retreat into the safety and darkness beneath her cloak. "I am Phennix, but it is best you forget the name when I leave."

Dare she ask why? She wanted to, but somehow a "why" didn't seem appropriate at the moment. An opportune time? There was never a good time to bring up anything, so why was she bothering pondering it? She doubted there would ever be an appropriate moment so she might as well…

"You see, it would be best not to tell Hiei. That's why."

Yukina's eyes widened slightly at the response to the question she had not even formed on her lips.

"Tell him what?"

"Tell him that you spoke to me of course."

"Oh…" she exhaled. And to her quiet surprise, her lungs filled with heat as she inhaled her next breath. It was getting hotter in this hallway. Actually… she took a look around; Yukina was not even in the desolate hallway anymore. Her mouth dropped slightly, displaying a hint of her teeth, as Yukina, for the first time, looked expectantly at Phennix.

The woman's eyes sparkled in return, but she said nothing of the matter. "Hiei is a sensitive little guy, and if he knew you saw me, he might become a little…aggravated."

"But, why?"

"So many questions!" Phennix laughed, "you're just like him!"

Yukina smiled at this, despite the uneasiness of the sudden change of scenery. It almost looked as though they were walking on clouds now. Almost as though she were in a dream. Almost… but it wasn't.

"I am?"

"Well there is a key difference between the two of you…" she rubbed her chin briefly, hiding a growing smile. "But you'll have to figure out that one on your own."

"Sorry, but I'm confused."

"How so?"

Yukina toyed with her hair briefly. Why was she nervous now?

"You haven't actually said anything," Yukina said strongly at first but trailed off into a whimper. "You're being so vague. I don't understand; why would Hiei not want to know of you? Why do you not want to meet me? What are you trying to tell me?"

Phennix lowered her eyes to meet Yukina's but then turned away. "Come," she said quietly, as she pointed to a lump of cloud, a lump that gradually gained shape and molded into a pearly red bench. Phennix approached it, but did not sit down until she patted it gently and shifted her peculiar feathery cloak. Slightly relieved to not have to walk any further, Yukina joined Phennix.

The bench was not exactly the most comfortable thing Yukina would have liked to sit on, especially since it was too tall for her feet to touch the ground. And so Yukina simply stared at the swaying feet, waiting patiently for Phennix to say whatever she had to say.

"Hiei…is in trouble you see."

Yukina's head shot up. "He is?"

"Not the way you think of trouble. But he is in it nonetheless. I am…" Phennix trailed off, making Yukina raise her eyebrows in quiet surprise. This was the first the woman appeared unsure of what to say. "I am a guide of his… of sorts."

"…A guide?"

"You must not tell him this," she said quickly and looked straight into the distance. "I trust you Yukina. Do you… trust me?"

She lifted her legs to her chin and pondered this question. The silence did not appear to fluster Phennix, so Yukina took her time to consider the question. If Phennix was Hiei's ally, then what more did she need? "I suppose so…"

"You see Yukina, I do not really exist, or at least, not anymore. I worked with Hiei once upon a time. I helped him obtain his precious Jagan eye. That organ is not exactly the cheapest thing on the market. But then, things changed." Phennix paused. The sound of a long exhale passed Yukina's ears, and she looked to find Phennix leaning back into the cloudy bench.

"Yukina, I'm a phoenix, a creature that lives but five hundred years, which is a short period for a demon, no? When that time is up, the phoenix sacrifices itself to be reborn as another phoenix. Quite ridiculous when you think of it…"

Yukina waited to hear more but when Phennix said nothing else, she said delicately, "but what does that have to do with you being Hiei's guide?"

"Something… went wrong."

Yukina waited.

…and waited.

And waited, but Phennix did not continue. "You weren't reborn?"

But Phennix said nothing, only turned to look at Yukina. Her face pained at the question and Yukina did not pry further.

"The fact is, now I am here. Yukina, you're dreaming. I can only retain my form in Hiei's dreams or someone's who is close to him."

Her heart leapt; she was close to Hiei.

"…And it is because of this that I consider myself his guide… of sorts. I am not a guardian spirit so I cannot call myself one, but I cannot be stuck inside Hiei's dreams and not try to help him."

"But you still haven't said… what kind of trouble is Hiei in?"

"That… is something you must find out, Yukina. He is very torn and too stubborn to confront the issue." Phennix crookedly smiled at this, not bothering to acknowledge the confused expression of Yukina. She closed her eyes and grudgingly opened them as if it were a chore, as she rose to her feet. "He refuses to listen to me, so I won't appear in his dreams any longer."

Yukina remained perched on the bench, feeling sympathy towards this trapped creature. "He'll come around, I'm sure. That's why I love him so." But the ice maiden soon dropped her enthusiasm upon seeing Phennix shake her head and reveal her cloak to be folded wings. The phoenix stretched them majestically and then began to walk away, the cloudy mist around them vanishing along with her.

"Phennix?"

"Don't talk to a traitor, dear."

"Wait a second, Phennix…" but the woman would not hear it and flew off, vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.

"Yukina?"

"Phennix?"

"Yukina!" The bench she sat on shook violently, for whatever reason, and the ice maiden opened her eyes groggily. Since when had she closed her eyes? Oh right… Yukina sighed inwardly; she was dreaming. How else could she talk to someone who only existed in dreams?

"Yukina…"

She blinked several times, trying to make her swirling vision clear. It was not helping particularly well, for immediately before her was a blue face. "Uh?"

"Oh good, you're awake!" No wait, it wasn't blue. The hair was blue… Yukina smiled knowingly and blinked a final time until her exhaustion faded into the distance.

"Botan," she whispered, her eyes shining. "Why are you here?"

"I work here silly!" The woman cheered and cautiously helped the maiden to her feet. "Come on, Hiei, Kurama, and Koenma are still talking so maybe you'd like to have some tea with me? It's much better than sitting here on the cold floor!"

"But what about…" Those two boys making so much noise… where were they? Were they a part of her dream just as much as Phennix? Or had she fallen asleep afterwards… As if anyone could fall asleep, listening to _that_.

"What about what?"

_Phennix… she was just here._

"Oh it was nothing," Yukina laughed, closing her eyes in the process. Phennix told her not to tell Hiei, and telling Botan… The epitome of gossip and talk… that was as good as telling Hiei himself. "Tea sounds delightful."

Botan returned the laugh but did not necessarily trust Yukina. It was not like Hiei's sister to lie, so it was fairly easy to see through a façade of hers. But nonetheless, Botan knew when not to pry. Or so she liked to tell herself. "Follow me then; my little office is close to here."

"Near this dark hallway?" Yukina complied and walked closely to the confident Botan, undaunted by the sheer etherealness of the place.

"That's because I spend so much time in Koenma's office, I barely visit my own. This section is a bit abandoned, but I still like to stop by here every once in a while to check and see that no one has made my office a home."

"…Has that happened before?"

They turned a corner, and continued until reaching an open door. "No, but it could," Botan smiled innocently. "Here it is."

Yukina snuck a peak inside to see absolutely nothing resembling an office. "But it's…"

"A bunch of furniture."

"And an oven and cabinets and…" It looked like a kitchen and living room smashed into the same space. "This is your office?"

"Cool, huh?" Botan waited for a reply, and satisfied by a quiet nod she said, "So sit down, I'll whip up some tea!"

As Botan rushed to her beautifully crafted counter, Yukina made her way to an oversized, burgundy couch, placed behind a wooden coffee table. She watched quietly as Botan grabbed a pair of matching mugs without looking into her cabinets. Filling a pan with water from her faucet with her other hand, Botan began to hum loudly.

Yukina fiddled with her hair, unsure of what to do at this point, and decided to wait until Botan sat beside her. There was something she initially wanted to talk to Botan about. What was it?

Unaware of Yukina's thoughts, Botan hummed slightly, "So you came here with Hiei? That's so great."

Hiei… that was it. She wanted to ask some advice. Best to wait till Botan _did_ sit down. It would give the maiden time to come with something concrete to ask.

"Yeah…"

Botan bubbled with excitement as the water boiled (much faster than any human device could boil water; the wonders of spirit world), and she quickly poured it into each cup. Haphazardly, she grabbed the mugs and tea bags, and rushed to place them on her coffee table. Botan brushed her hair back and then flopped down onto a red cushion opposite Yukina, and stirred the tea bags in the cups.

"Wait for it to sit a little bit," she exhaled. "Oh I forgot; would you like honey in it?"

"I don't want to inconvenience you…"

"Not at all!" Botan smirked and leapt to her feet, opening a cabinet filled with spices. "Odd… where is it?" She dug deep into the case, and finding nothing, Botan then searched the next cabinet without bothering to close the first one.

Yukina sighed quietly… this would take some time. "Botan?"

Above the racket of tossed aside plastic cups and saucers, a muffled "yes?" could be heard from inside the cabinet.

She gently touched her cup and traced her fingers around the rim. "I need some advice."

A head shot out from inside the cabinet as Botan turned to face Yukina with a growing smile. "What kind?"

"It's… about Hiei."

And the smile fleeted, fading into a frown.

Botan abandoned the search for the honey and slowly returned to her seat on the cushion. "Yes?"

Nervous at the attention sharply focused on her, Yukina sipped the tea, which unfortunately has not time to actually absorb any taste from the tea bag. She made a face.

"I told you to let it settle silly."

"Oh, sorry," Yukina replied absently and returned the mug to the table.

"You were saying?"

"Right. Hiei…"

Botan waited patiently, seeing Yukina gulp and clear her throat (probably to rid her tongue of the tea that did not taste like tea).

"Where should I begin?"

"From the beginning I suppose," Botan relaxed into the cushion, snatching her own mug and letting it rest in between her hands.

"So I really like Hiei."

Botan smiled, settling deeper into her cushion. "You should. Everyone likes Hiei. He's a… charming guy."

Yukina saw Botan swirl her tea bag and reach to take a sip before the maiden turned her eyes to the side. "Not like that. I love him and I told him that I did and…"

But she stopped. She had to. How could she ignore the sound of Botan spitting out her tea so loudly?

"You w-what?"

"I told him I loved him," Yukina whispered, not at all confident by the reaction of her friend. The comment was barely audible too, but it seemed enough for Botan to understand.

"That's… what I thought you said," she coughed and returned the mug to the table lest she spill the whole thing on herself. "You love him as in…sisterly love?"

Yukina's eyes narrowed in confusion. "No."

"Then…"

"Like, um, passionate love?"

Botan said nothing, just… gaped. Her mouth had dropped and remained there, for Botan was too astonished for words or movement or… anything. The happiness in her eyes vanished to be replaced by hint of disgust, the same kind she saw in Hiei's.

"Is something wrong? Botan?"

"H-how did this happen?"

"I don't know… how can you explain how love happens? Doesn't it just… happen?"

Botan covered her eyes and then let her palm trail her stressed facial features until resting on her mouth. Barely audible Botan panicked, "Figures this would happen…"

"Sorry? What did you say? I couldn't here you," Yukina pleaded. "Is there something wrong?"

"N-no. I just, um… what did Hiei do? When you told him this?"

Yukina rubbed her arm and soon resumed tangling her hair. "That's what I needed advice about. He looked kind of… disgusted. I don't understand why. But after some time he told me he loved me too, and I got really excited and then… we came here. But Hiei looked distraught and I dunno, conflicted… and what do I do?"

Botan did not speak immediately. She watched the swaying of her tea bag in the cup and tried desperately not to think about the problem Yukina presented her with. But she_ had_ to think about it. As gross and disgusting and… incestuous as it was, she had to.

She could not exactly stand up and leave and avoid Yukina. But she couldn't tell Yukina this was wrong and sick. That would mean Botan would have to tell Yukina _why_ it was wrong. And that would mean… telling her that she was Hiei's sister.

Sister! She was his sister; how could she be in love with him!

And at that point, rage filled Botan. This was Hiei's fault. If he wanted to protect his sister so much, then why did he let this happen? If Yukina found out now, she'd be crushed. A person cannot just magically forget they love someone. But Hiei could not love Yukina in return, not in the same 'passionate' way.

No matter what, Yukina would lose.

What could Botan possibly say?

Possibility number one: tell Yukina nothing was wrong. Hiei just was not used to someone's open affection. He'd come around; she knew Hiei liked Yukina, and it would just take time. But then again… This was adding fuel to the fire.

Possibility number two: tell Yukina that Hiei didn't love her. No, that one was out for sure.

Possibility number three: tell Yukina the truth. Botan laughed at this one. She would rather die then be the one to tell Yukina that!

"Botan?"

The blue-haired woman let her hand fall from her face, "Hm?"

"What do I do?"

"Talk to him I suppose."

"But I already tried that. What do I say?"

Botan raised her eyes giving Yukina a look of sheer pity. And the ice maiden did not like it at all.

"Look Yukina…" she shifted her position on the couch uncomfortably. "Love is something you shouldn't throw around. Are you sure you love him this way?"

"Yes."

Good luck, Botan frowned. "I know he loves you. Maybe not the way you think, but he does love you. More than anything actually."

"Then why…"

"Look, I'll talk to him," Botan offered sympathetically. And boy would she give him a piece of her mind! He would limp profoundly before she was through with him. "Let's head back over to Koenma's office. The fires they're talking about are not as important as this."

Yukina smiled as Botan rose to her feet and headed for the door, completely forgetting about her tea. She followed quietly, but not before nervously sipping her own. It _was_ tasty once it settled.

"Coming," Yukina answered innocently, leaving her mug on the coffee table.

----

Hiei groaned at Kurama's and Koenma's constant banter. He had lost interest a while back. This was nothing he had not heard already. Fires and magic and demons and nonsense. It bored him; it really did. Especially since he had other things to worry about. Like his predicament with Yukina.

Uhg, Yukina…

"What do you think Hiei?" Kurama said intentionally loudly to wake the fire demon from his thoughts.

"About…"

"About Kurama's theory," Koenma sighed from behind his desk. "I think you're forgetting that you're freedom is riding on the success of this case."

He shrugged. It wasn't as though Hiei had anything to do with this freedom once he would actually obtain it. He couldn't return to thievery; that would mean hurting Yukina. And he couldn't possibly pretend to be in passionate love with Yukina for the rest of his life. Hiei deflated at this thought. Yukina deserved happiness, and if it meant that he would suffer under the knowledge that he was an incestuous freak then so be it.

"What's this theory again?"

Kurama rolled his eyes innocently and began (again) his theory, "I think that Phennix is involved with these fires because she's the only phoenix, and this kind of fire can _only_ be defined as phoenix fire. It cannot fit under any other category…"

"You already told me this…" Hiei sighed.

"Yes well how do I know how much you have actually listened to?"

The fire demon raised his eyebrow and then shoved his hands in his pockets. "Touche."

"Since you worked with her and probably saw her last, we need you to track her down because she's obviously involved. And if she isn't she can stop it. And when you do… you're free."

"I'm not going to look for her," he spat. As if he wanted to talk to her in his dreams again! That witch, telling him what to do? The last thing he needed was seeing her again.

"But your…"

"Freedom. Yeah, yeah." The demon sighed loudly, taking both Koenma and Kurama back. Was it really worth it? This whole adventure led to nothing but problems. And so he returned to a question he vaguely recalled Phoenix hinting at: was his freedom what he valued most?

…was it?

"Forget it," Hiei said flatly.

His freedom was _not_ what he valued most. Yukina was. And talking to Phennix ever again was something Hiei flat-out refused to do.

"What?" Koenma scoffed, leaning forward into his desk, panic written across his face.

"I don't want it. Lock me up; I don't care. You can't break me Koenma." _Because Yukina already has._

And with that, he began to walk out of the office filled with piles of paperwork. He heard the footsteps of Kurama from behind him, but this only led him to quicken his pace. The faster he reached the door the better. But unfortunately for him, Botan stopped him.

"Hiei!"

The fire demon raised his eyes to her with a look of death but forcibly lifted the hatred when he saw Yukina standing sweetly beside her.

Botan clearly had a look of mutual anger as she tried to steady her voice. "I have to talk to you. Now."

At this point Hiei simply did not care. At all. Throw daggers at him, flame him, whatever, it didn't matter. He did not even bother to brace himself for the worst; he was done shielding himself.

"Can it wait?" Koenma sighed. "Or better yet, can you help us convince Hiei not to leave?"

"Leave?" Yukina echoed. She suddenly filled with silent dread. Maybe Hiei really was in trouble, just like Phennix said!

But Koenma ignored her and added, "Botan, tell him to help us hunt down Phennix."

"Phennix?"

No one could ignore Yukina after that outburst. Everyone, _everyone_, looked at her with surprise, and the maiden wanted to melt into the floor suddenly. She had just accidentally admitted to knowing who Phennix was and after promising the phoenix she would not to tell! Her eyes traveled from person to person, and finally landed on Hiei.

He looked so… disheveled. She wanted to embrace him, for whatever reason, but did no such thing when she saw the mixture of confusion and disgust and pain. Was this directed at her? But what upset her most was how he could not even look back at her.

"Phennix…" Hiei grumbled, "cannot be found, and I refuse to look for her, so shut up Koenma about things you obviously don't understand." He coiled into himself and stormed out of the room, ignoring Yukina's reaching hand.

But Botan would not be dissuaded so easily, and she ran after him. "Hiei; I need to talk to you."

They were in the hallway now, alone, but Hiei did not comply.

"Now you listen, Hiei," Botan condescended, "you can't do this to Yukina!" His back facing her, the demon stopped, prepared to listen. "You can't toy with her this way!"

"What… are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about! You never told her the truth and now she's in love you… And no matter what you do, you're going to hurt her!" Botan rushed immediately behind him, clutching him by the shoulder and swinging him around to face her. "How _dare_ you?"

He didn't even bother to attempt a reply.

"Hiei! You selfish bastard! Answer me. Do you think that it's going to get better by telling her you love her back?"

…How did she know?

"Do you realize what you're doing? You and her? That's… that's just sick! And if she knew why, she'd think the same thing. Are you lying just to protect yourself? You want her affection?"

"Not this way…"

"I certainly would hope not!" Botan screeched, still clutching Hiei's shoulders. Her face was barely an inch from his, and she could feel the shame resonating from him. "You… you… You selfish, ignorant…."

But then, Hiei did something Botan did not expect. One piece at a time, her scrunched up face lifted as she saw the wetness in the demon's eyes. He was fighting back, dare she think it, tears?

"Hiei…"

"Shut up."


End file.
